I hope our drama serves the memory of Banaz
Keeley Hawes plays a real-life detective in new drama Honour, based on a true story. JANE HAASE finds out more
KEELEY HAWES has played fictional police officers before, most notably in Line of Duty and Ashes to Ashes. However, in the new two-part drama Honour, she’s playing real-life detective DCI Caroline Goode, who was instrumental in getting justice for Banaz Mahmod, a Londoner who was the victim of a so-called ‘honour killing’.
The 20-year-old’s murder was arranged by her father and uncle – Mahmod Mahmod and Ari Mahmod – after she left her abusive husband and fell in love with another man.
DCI Goode discovered that Banaz had been to the police five times to report threats to her life from members of her own family.
Appalled that her own colleagues had missed multiple chances to save a young woman’s life, Caroline vowed that she would not rest until she finally got justice for Banaz.
It was a promise that quickly became personally consuming.
Although Keeley, 44, points out that her performance is not an impersonation, she did meet the real Caroline, who also visited the set.
The Durrells star, who is also an executive producer on the series, explains why she got involved.
“I didn’t know anything about the story, I’d never heard of Banaz Mahmod or Caroline Goode, but when I read the scripts I was completely taken with this story.
“I thought it was something I would really love to be involved with.
“My knowledge (about honour killing) was virtually zero and what I thought I knew was probably wrong.
“It’s difficult to remember back now but I had no real idea about it – which is part of the problem, that none of us are armed with any knowledge about it, as the police weren’t in this case, including, initially, Caroline Goode’s team.”
The two-part series is written by Vanity Fair’s Gwyneth Hughes, and follows the investigation that took place after Banaz was murdered.
In January 2006, she was raped, tortured and strangled by two of her cousins and a third man.
Her body was stuffed into a suitcase and taken from London to Handsworth in the West Midlands to be buried in a garden.
Her killers were only jailed thanks to the brave testimony of her boyfriend, Rahmat Sulemani, and her sister Bekhal.
Having watched the documentary
Banaz: A Love Story, which chronicles the life and death of Banaz, and read the scripts for Honour, Keeley met Caroline, who was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for her role in the investigation, over er a cup of tea.
“It was fascinating to meet Caroline but my y representation of her as a character is certainly not an impression,” says Keeley.
“I took aspects of her character, her confidence, her relationship with her team, all of those things, which are all there in the writing as well.
“It is an honour to play her, which of course carries the weight and responsibility of playing a real person. If you met her in the street you would have no clue about all of the extraordinary things she does. “Also what I l love about her is s she always gives th thanks to her p police team. She is lik like the director we hav have on set, some someone who enabl enables everybody else to do t their job really well” well.”
Keeley says what struck her about the police investigation into Banaz’s murder was how determined they were to get justice for her.
“To find her body and also extradite two of the guilty men back from Iraq, something that had never been done before,” she says.
“I asked Caroline, ‘Were you very emotional? Did it affect you in that way every day? Or do you become hardened to these things?’
“Because you imagine the police don’t have time to be emotional, and she had been doing this job for a long time. Caroline said: ‘ Yes, of course I got emotional. How could you not?’”
Keeley says it was a very emotional story for everyone working on the drama to tell.
“Inevitably, all of us took the job home with us at night,” she reveals.
“Not a moment went by when we weren’t talking or thinking about Banaz. I still find it emotional today.”
Banaz: A Love Story includes real life video footage of Banaz asking a police officer for help, fearing she could be murdered.
“Watching the documentary I sat in total stunned silence and then had a very quiet afternoon,” recalls Keeley.
“It is an incredibly moving documentary and won an Emmy for good reason. Banaz is so vulnerable in those videos; both mentally and physically fragile.
“However she is extraordinary because she has such strength at the same time, to be doing what she is doing and sitting there being interviewed, you can really see how Caroline and her team, and anybody who watches that, will feel the same.
“The immense sadness you feel watching that young woman. If you thought you could find her, help her or get justice for her, then you would, as Caroline did.
“Caroline has since gone out of her way to be part of the education process since this case.
“If just one person feels they can reach out to a charity, or what they are going through is not normal because of this drama, then the whole endeavour has been worthwhile.”
Keeley says she felt an extra responsibility because she was telling a true story.
“Obviously everything I do is important to me but there is a huge, additional responsibility that comes with this particular drama,” she explains.
“Not only playing a real person and representing all of the people in the story but the main responsibility is because it’s about Banaz and keeping her memory alive.
“I hope our drama serves the memory of Banaz. That is very important. I also hope it may give people the confidence to speak out if they are in that situation or have an inkling that someone else might be going through anything like what Banaz had to suffer.
“That would mean it had been a real success as far as I’m concerned.”