Is The Blame based on a true story? No, but there are some powerful parallels

Viewers have been diving into ITV crime drama The Blame since it debuted in September, following along with its story of a murder investigation.

Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth lead the cast of the series, playing the detectives at the centre of the case who find themselves fighting against institutional cover-ups and moral compromise within their own police force.

However, viewers may be left wondering whether this story is actually based on a real case. In actuality, it is entirely fictional, but that doesn't mean there aren't some purposeful real-life parallels, based on extensive research which went into the making of the programme.

Read on for everything you need to know about the real-life inspirations for The Blame.

No, The Blame is not based on a true story. Instead, it is based on the novel of the same name, which was published in 2024 and written by Charlotte Gifford, under the name Charlotte Langley.

The synopsis for the series says: "The Blame is centred around DI Emma Crane (Michelle Keegan) and DI Tom Radley (Douglas Booth) investigating a tragic murder in the fictional town of Wakestead. They quickly identify their main suspect, but as the case progresses, an unexpected lead comes to light.

"As Emma and Tom dig deeper, they uncover web of lies, institutional cover-ups and moral compromise, which forces Emma to question the people closest to her. Part propulsive mystery, part love story, The Blame will tackle big questions around policing and will take an unflinching look at who we can really trust."

However, despite the series being fictional, it has been inspired by some real-life incidents.

Executive producer Nicola Shindler explained, as was reported by Manchester Evening News: "We did a lot of work on the cases that are out there. We had access to those text messages which real police officers have sent.

"They become increasingly important and we wanted to keep it as close to that as possible. If we'd made it up, you wouldn't believe what was in those messages, so we chose not to make it up."

She added: "When I say research, it wasn't hard because while we're filming, a number of stories came out. So, Charlotte wrote the book a long time ago, but while we were filming a lot of new stories came out about text messaging and responses inside the police."

In particular, Booth recalled that "the Charing Cross Panorama was a big research".

That Panorama documentary, which aired in October 2025, uncovered evidence of racism, misogyny and officers revelling in the use of force at one of Charing Cross police station.

Meanwhile, the lead writer on the series who adapted the novel, Megan Gallagher, said of her research: "Before I became a screenwriter, my background was in criminal justice and so I have always gone out of my way to talk to police officers, sergeants and detectives.

"I live in Norway and have done ride-alongs there, in America and in the UK. I've spoken to the FBI and MI5 and it’s always such a joy and privilege to learn from them all.

"What you find when you talk to enough detectives or sergeants is that certain personality traits exist. So, whether it's a ‘DC Lewis’ or a ‘Walker’, they are just amalgamations of people that I've met in real life."

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The cast have also spoken about how they used research to informed their portrayals.

Keegan said: "I did a lot of research – I watched a lot of the show 24 Hours in Police Custody, and my dad was a police inspector in the early '90s and 2000s, so I asked him what it was like working in the force back then.

"He said the ‘lad-culture’ was exactly the same as it’s touched upon in the drama, it was heavily male influenced, and it was very rare to have a high-ranking female officer."

Keegan also revealed that there was a police advisor on set called Lisa, who "was absolutely brilliant and who really helped with my preparation".

"She taught me that as a female officer you have to stand your ground and never take any s**t off the men, especially when it comes to your rank – you’ve earned it and you’re there because you're good at your job," Keegan explained.

"She also advised me on body language and how you might say a certain line – just the finer details."

The Blame is available to watch in full now on ITVX.

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