Is The Sister based on a true story?

27 October 2020, 18:57

Viewers have been asking whether The Sister is based on a true story. Picture: ITV

Is ITV thriller The Sister based on true events? Here's what we know about the storyline...

Just in time for Halloween, ITV has treated us to a brand new thriller in the form of The Sister.

Starring Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel, the four part series follows the story of a man who has spent years escaping the dark secrets of his past.

But what was the inspiration behind ITV’s The Sister and is it based on a true story? Here’s what we know…

Is The Sister based on a true story?

Viewers might be glad to hear that The Sister is not based on true events, so we can all sleep a little easier tonight.

The Sister - ITV Trailer

The storyline is instead based on Neil Cross' 2009 novel Burial.

Although the events in the book are made up, Neil has since revealed he drew on inspiration from a moment in his own life back in 1985.

Speaking to Radio Times, the author described a nightmare which involved killing a homeless man.

"I was very young, I was 16 or 17 and I was out of my head on rough cider in Bristol… we used to drink rough cider in gallon containers because it was 32p a pint,” he said.

"I was making my way back to my sister’s house and there was a shortcut and you could either walk round a very long road – this huge sprawling council estate – or you could take a shortcut through the woods, through [to] these concrete steps through the woods.

The Sister is not based on a true story. Picture: ITV

“I woke up with a very, very clear memory of coming across a homeless man asleep on the steps who I randomly stabbed to death.”

Neil said the dream was so vivid he actually thought it had happened, as he continued: "I was absolutely certain that I remembered randomly killing this man, and in fact for years and years and years I genuinely found it difficult to talk about."

"When the internet was invented one of the first things I did, when I became aware of what search engines were, was search the old newspapers. So yeah that was the inspiration.

He added: "I didn’t do it if anybody’s wondering."

In the novel Burial, main character Nathan is newly married and terrified a secret from his past will be revealed.

An old acquaintance from his past - Bob - then arrives out of the blue one evening, threatening to blow his life apart.

The Sister started on Monday, October 26, at 9pm on ITV and is airing on four consecutive nights, with the finale on Thursday, October 29.

Now Read: How many episodes are there of ITV's The Sister?