Sky has announced that the three-part documentary series Groomed: The Truth Behind the Lie, re-examining the case of Ellie Williams and the wider story of grooming in the town of Barrow, will launch on Sky and streaming service NOW on 2 August.
When Ellie Williams’ allegations of grooming went viral, they tore the town of Barrow apart and triggered national outrage. Police investigated the allegations and concluded they were untrue. Ellie was charged with perverting the course of justice leading to an 8.5 year prison sentence. But was there truth beneath the lies? And did the focus on proving one young woman a liar lead to denial of a wider grooming problem?
Produced by Sandpaper Films (The Betrayed Girls, A Deadly American Marriage) this series reframes the Ellie Williams case, moving beyond a single question of truth or lies to expose a far wider and more troubling story. The series sheds new light on the Ellie Williams case, as well as uncovering accounts from other women in Barrow whose allegations of abuse by a group of predominantly Asian men were dismissed.
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Groomed: The Truth Behind the Lie also explores how far-right groups have weaponised such cases to fuel outrage and mistrust while agencies, wary of racism accusations, have often avoided confronting perpetrators’ ethnicity.
Developed and filmed over three years, against the backdrop of a growing national reckoning and public inquiry into grooming, the series is based on extensive access and original research and features survivor testimony and first-time interviews with Ellie Williams’ family. It is a co-production with Full Story Films and draws on the journalism of Sky News’ Unreliable Witness podcast. At its heart, the series is about women who were abused and not believed, placing Barrow within a wider pattern of grooming scandals and asks: Why can’t Britain confront this problem, and who pays the price?
Groomed: The Truth Behind the Lie (3×60) was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director, unscripted originals at Sky for Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & chief content officer for Sky. The head of documentary commissioning is Hayley Reynolds and the commissioning editor for Sky is Bruce Fletcher.
Groomed: The Truth Behind the Lie is produced by Sandpaper Films in co-production with Full Story Films, Sky News’ premium long-form documentary unit. Henry Singer, Catey Sexton and Susannah Price serve as executive producers for Sandpaper Films. The series is directed by Ceri Isfryn and Katie Hindley, the series producer is Farah Qayum, the senior producer is Alexandra McArdle and the producer is Bill Mostyn. Siobhan Sinnerton and Vesna Cudic are executive producers for Full Story Films and Liz Lane is consulting producer.
