ITV’s Until I Kill You is a true story based on the harrowing experiences of Delia Balmer, who started dating John Sweeney and was repeatedly assaulted and almost killed by him.
The show is based on Balmer’s memoir titled Living With a Serial Killer. It follows the early hopeful days of Delia's journey with John to the gradual descent of their relationship with John’s abuses, and Delia’s fearing his return.
Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans star as Delia and John, and the drama focuses more on Delia’s perspective as it tells the story of how she rebuilt her life after the assaults.
Reflecting on the importance of the story being told from Delia’s point of view, Anna Maxwell Martin said:
"She didn’t take any crap, she’s so resilient and fiery, such an individual, let’s celebrate that rather than showing more gratuitous violence against females on TV. I think we’re all a bit bored of watching that and following predatory male killers around on TV, I didn’t really want to focus on the abuse."
She further mentioned:
"We’re getting inside the mind of a woman who went through a lot of very complex things, not just to do with John Sweeney, and I’m very proud of the drama."
Besides Anna and Shaun, actors like Kevin Doyle, Lucy Thackeray, and Amanda Wilkin are in the cast of Until I Kill You. Let us now look at the cast list and who plays whom in the new true-crime show.
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Untill I Kill You cast
1) Anna Maxwell Martin as Delia Balmer
Anna Maxwell plays the role of Delia Balmer, the titular character, a free-spirited nurse, an avid traveler, and someone who likes to keep to herself. One night, she meets John at a pub, and though she initially does not like him, he eventually wins her over.
As he moves in with her, Delia realizes that her boyfriend might be a lot more violent than he had initially led on.
Regarding playing the role of Delia, Anna said:
“She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever played before, she’s an incredibly fascinating person and her responses to things are very particular to her. It was really interesting and liberating to play someone like Delia, who is unapologetically herself and gives herself license to express everything she’s thinking and feeling.”
Before Until I Kill You, Martin has been seen in Line of Duty as DCS Patricia Carmichael, in Code 404 as Kelly Major, and in Motherland as Julia. She was also featured in projects like A Spy Among Friends, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Ludwig, and The Bletchley Circle.
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2) Shaun Evans as John Sweeney
In Until I Kill You, Shaun Evans portrays the role of John Sweeney, a carpenter who meets Anna’s Delia at a pub and eventually becomes her boyfriend. Their relationship dynamic changes when he moves in with Delia and, shows his more violent side and also confesses certain harrowing things to her.
Regarding his role as a real-life killer, Shaun mentioned:
"So this is the first time that it’s still in recent memory, the events. That brings with it a lot of responsibility and obligation to be as fair as possible."
Shaun Evans is best known for playing the lead role of young Endeavour Morse for eleven years on ITV's Endeavour. He has also starred in projects like Vigil, Whitechapel, Silk, and The Last Weekend. He will also be leading the cast of the upcoming spy thriller Betrayal.
3) Amanda Wilkin as Leah
Leah, one of the head nurses at the hospital where Delia works, is played by Amanda Wilkin. While Delia and Amanda do not always get along, Amanda becomes a good friend of Delia in Until I Kill You and warns her about John’s behavior quite early.
Wilkin's career spans almost two decades and has featured in shows like Am I Being Unreasonable? Spent, and The Split.
4) Kevin Doyle as David
In Until I Kill You, Kevin Doyle plays the role of David, another love interest of Delia, who comes into her life following her harrowing experience with John. He is an integral part of her support system and helps her throughout the trial and her journey of seeking justice.
Doyle’s most well-known roles include the characters of Joseph Molesley in Downton Abbey, John Parr in The Lakes, and DS John Wadsworth in Happy Valley. His other projects include The Witcher, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Sherwood, and Paranoid.
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5) Laura Morgan as DC Christine Webb
Laura Morgan plays the role of DC Christine Webb, the family liaison officer in Delia’s case, who eventually sees that John is taken to court. She is responsible for Delia taking her stance and helping her fight for justice.
Morgan has previously starred in Victoria, Operation Mincemeat, and See How They Run.
6) Lucy Thackeray as WPC Jane Barker
The only female police constable associated with Delia’s case in Until I Kill You, WPC Jane Barker, is played by Lucy Thackeray. She also visits her in the hospital during the Christmas time following John’s brutal attack on her.
Previously, Thackeray has starred in Call the Midwife, The Walk-In, Moon Knight, Top Boy, and Black Ops.
Other cast members of Until I Kill You
Besides the already mentioned ones, other cast members of the show include:
- Stephanie Street as Janice Rainsworth
- Steve Edge as DS Collins
- Geoffrey Streatfeild as DI Steve Smith
- Clare Chapman as Eloise Chapman QC
- Matthew Aubrey as DC Flynn
All four episodes of Until I Kill You are available to stream on ITVX.
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