The Witness is a television true crime miniseries retelling of the 1992 killing of Rachel Nickell and the aftermath for her husband and son. The series is based on a memoir Letting Go by Alex Hanscombe. It premiered on Netflix on 4 June 2026.
Contents
Cast
Main
Jordan Bolger as André Hanscombe
Supporting
Max Fincham as Alex Hanscombe
Jahsaiah Williams as Young Alex
Kerry Godliman as Grandma June
Eleanor Williams as Rachel Nickell
Neil Maskell as DI Keith Pedder
Kevin Eldon as DCI Mick Wickerson
Mark Stanley as DS Ivan Agnew
Jon Pointing as DC Nick Sparshatt
James Dryden as DC Paul Miller
James Bradshaw as DCI Tony Nash
Claire Rushbrook as Dr Jean Harris-Hendriks
Paul Chahidi as Professor Paul Britton
Oliver Devoti as Detective Jackaman
Tom Ashley as Philip Tandy
Sean Gilder as DCS Nicholas Campbell
Matt Green as Dr. Richard Shephard
Tony Aitken as Michael Murray
Adam Howden as DC Grant Johnson
Jamie Bisping as Colin Stagg
Katharine Pearson as Samantha Bisset
Holly Hawgood as Lizzie James
Hunter Moore as Jazmine Bisset
Ben Cartwright as DS Micky Banks
Steve Stamp as Robert Napper
Jack Shalloo as DI John Pearse
Production
The series is written and created by Rob Williams and produced by STV Studios. The director is Alex Winckler, with Alison Sterling as producer. Rob Williams is also an executive producer alongside Sarah Brown and John Yorke. It was announced by Netflix in December 2024.
It has a cast led by Jordan Bolger as the widower Andre with Jahsaiah Williams and Max Fincham as Alex, the child witness to his mother's murder. Alex and André Hanscombe acted as consultants on the series.
The cast also includes Neil Maskell, Kevin Eldon, Jon Pointing, Kerry Godliman, Paul Chahidi, Claire Rushbrook and Mark Stanley.
Release
The series was released on Netflix on 4 June 2026.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating, based on ten critic reviews with an average rating of 7.3/10.
