Keeley Hawes to star in true crime drama Honour for ITV

Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) will star as Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode, the officer who was given the Queen’s Police Medal for her investigation into the missing 20-year-old.

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DCI Goode vowed to bring the killers to justice after discovering Mahmod had been to the police five times to report threats to her life from members of her family – a promise that "quickly became personally consuming", according to ITV.

Hawes – who is executive producing the series with her new company Buddy Club – said: “It is a privilege to be working on Honour…in a time when honour killings are still rife, it is critical to shine a light on such an important subject. Banaz Mahmod’s story, and DCI Goode’s subsequent investigation, is certainly one that needs to be told and I am proud to be a part of it.”

The two-hour drama, directed by Richard Laxton (Him & Her, Mrs Wilson) and written by Gwyneth Hughes (Vanity Fair, Dark Angel) will begin filming in September 2019.

“That this story is ultimately so uplifting is down to the sheer heroism and dedication of the police officers who hunted down [Mahmod’s] killers…I found their unusual warmth and humanity deeply moving,” said Hughes.