Is ITV's Hollington Drive a true story?

29 September 2021, 19:00

Hollington Drive is airing on ITV this month
Hollington Drive is airing on ITV this month. Picture: ITV

Is Hollington Drive a real place? Here's what we know about the new ITV drama...

The four-part series follows two sister’s lives as their community is left in turmoil after a child goes missing.

Starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Rachael Stirling as Theresa and Helen, the synopsis reads: "On a Summer evening in the seemingly idyllic suburb of Hollington Drive, 10-year-old Alex Boyd is declared missing.

“Sisters and social pillars within the community, Theresa and Helen, struggle to hold their lives and their families together in the wake of this tragedy.

"Secrets and lies begin to surface and long held facades falter as grief rips through Hollington Drive."

Hollington Drive is not a real place
Hollington Drive is not a real place. Picture: ITV

But is Hollington Drive based on a true story? Here’s what we know…

Is ITV's Hollington Drive a real place?

No, Hollington Drive is not a real place, it is a fictional cul de sac which was filmed in and around Cardiff in Wales.

Speaking about why she picked the location, writer Sophie Petzal said: "I always had a very clear picture in my head of what this street would look like. I wanted something that felt bright, without being too cartoony or silly.

"I wanted it to juxtapose with the dark underbelly of the story, with detached houses that looked really nice and idyllic but not recognisably from a specific part of Britain like Manchester or Bristol.”

Hollington Drive was filmed in a cul de sac in Wales
Hollington Drive was filmed in a cul de sac in Wales. Picture: ITV

She added: "It has white houses that look comfortable and aspirational. Overall, it feels compelling and inviting, even though the subject matter is dark and kind of twisted."

Is Hollington Drive based on a true story?

No, Hollington Drive is a completely fictional story but writer Sophie has said she always wanted to write about sisters based on her own family.

She said: “I had always wanted to write about sisters – I have a sister and that relationship is probably one of the most important in my life.

“So I started thinking about the idea of a secret kept between sisters who live very close to each other, and then they suspect their children might have been responsible for another child’s death.

Hollington Drive is based on family dynamics
Hollington Drive is based on family dynamics. Picture: ITV

“Then they make decisions that have unfolding consequences and nothing is quite as it seems. I started developing that story with my producer, Jonathan Fisher and we would go on endless walks coming up with ideas for how the show could twist and turn. We both had a good instinct about it.”

Sophie added that she and her sister ‘have a very different relationship to Helen and Theresa’, but added: “Of course, you take things from your own experiences all the time, things like childhood dynamics that live on into adulthood.

“I’m obsessed with family dynamics.”

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