Keeley Hawes tackles one of her most difficult roles to date, as she stars in ITV’s new crime drama Honour.
The two-parter, which airs on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September, is a dark and disturbing dramatisation of the real life murder of Banaz Mahmod in 2006.
Honour is uncomfortable viewing, as it portrays the story of Banaz’s murder at the hands of her own family.
In fact, the ITV drama has already been criticised, even before airing.
Here’s everything you need to know about Honour and the true crime it’s based on.
What is Honour about?
Honour stars Keeley Hawes as the real-life detective DCI Caroline Goode, who investigates the tragic death of 20-year-old Londoner Banaz Mahmod in 2006.
DCI Goode discovers that Banaz was murdered for falling in love with a different man to the one her family had chosen for her. Her five killers are eventually bought to justice.
We discover that Banaz visited the police five times to report threats to her life from members of her own family – but nothing was done.
Embarrassed by her own colleagues’ failure to save the young woman’s life and prevent an ‘honour’ killing, DCI Goode vows to get justice.
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Who is in the cast with Keeley Hawes?
Relative newcomer Buket Komur stars in Honour as the victim Banaz Mahmod.
She’s previously been in shorts What Is Your Name and Tin Luck, but this is her first prime-time role.
Hanna star Rhianne Barreto plays Bekhal Mahmod, Banaz’s estranged sister.
Older sister Bekhal is “the rebellious one who had run away from home, because she couldn’t stand the levels of control and the beatings”.
Moe Bar-El portrays Rahmat Suleimani, Banaz’s distraught boyfriend. Banaz met and fell in love with Rahmat after she left her husband, and the couple were seen kissing outside a tube station.
Moe is the star of The Bureau, and has popped up in Casualty and Doctors.
Mark Stanley, famous for his role as Grenn in Game Of Thrones, plays DS Andy Craig.
He works alongside DCI Goode to bring Banaz’s killers to justice.
What happens in the first episode of Honour?
Banaz Mahmod’s boyfriend reports her missing to the police, and DCI Goode discovers that Banaz had been to the police five times to report threats to life.
She even presented a list of people wanting to kill her for shaming her family.
Caroline searches for the people on Banaz’s list and questions the ringleader Uncle Ari who denies the charges.
Caroline speaks to Banaz’s estranged sister Bekhal and Kurdish activist, Diana Nammi, and realises that this could be a murder enquiry.
Sadly, her suspicions are confirmed when one of the suspects confessed over the phone to the rape, torture and murder of Banaz.
ITV faces backlash over Honour
Payzee Mahmod, the sister of Banaz, spoke out against ITV drama Honour last year.
Telling the BBC how “every day has been hell” since her sister was killed.
While ITV insists the drama’s writer Gwyneth Hughes communicated with Banaz’s younger sister “to give her the assurances she needs”, Payzee criticised the TV dramatisation.
She dislikes the way the drama focuses on investigating officer DCI Caroline Goode rather than Banaz.
Payzee says: “It doesn’t really sit too well with me that that’s the angle they chose to go with.”
She adds: “That’s not Banaz’s story. That’s somebody else’s story.
“This is about somebody who lost her life very tragically. It’s not about somebody getting to tell their story.
“I don’t believe that it’s honouring Banaz.”
Confirming that Banaz sought help from police five times before her death, Payzee added her sister “solved her own murder”.
However, she has since backed Honour, recently telling The Guardian: “Lessons have not been learned. Banaz is not the first ‘honour’ killing and she won’t be the last.
“My biggest hope is that this film will start the right conversation.”
Honour airs on ITV at 9pm on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September
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