Channel 4 releases first look at new Wagatha Christie court drama

Pictures show the cast which includes Michael Sheen, Chanel Cresswell and Harry Potter actresss Natalia Tena
Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama releases images of Rebekah Vardy, played by Natalia Tena (Channel 4/PA)
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The first images of a two-part film exploring the ‘Wagatha Christie’ legal battle have been released by Channel 4.

Bafta-winning This Is England actress Chanel Cresswell is pictured as Coleen Rooney, sitting in court, in a first look at Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama.

Meanwhile Natalia Tena - best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter - is seen in dark glasses surrounded by reporters, as she takes on the role of Rebekah Vardy.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama
Wayne Rooney played by Dion Lloyd and Coleen Rooney played by Chanel Cresswell
PA

Good Omens actor Michael Sheen will play Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne, whose previous clients include Diana, Princess of Wales, and Johnny Depp; alongside Simon Coury as Vardy’s barrister, Hugh Tomlinson QC.

The two-parter also sees Dion Lloyd play former Manchester United midfielder Wayne Rooney and Marton Nagyszokolyai take the role of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy. Both footballers also played for England.

Channel 4 said its film “recreates the high drama, high stakes High Court defamation case” based on transcripts from the court proceedings.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama
Rebekah Vardy played by Natalia Tena
PA

It also imagines the “huge impact on the lives of the two women at its heart”, as it follows the characters both in and out of court.

Dubbed the #WagathaChristie case when it first unfolded on social media in 2019, the audacious case made headlines around the world, while the trial gripped the nation this summer.

It saw Vardy, 40, lose a libel battle against 36-year-old Rooney over a viral social media post after a High Court judge found its contents to be “substantially true”.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama
Coleen Rooney played by Chanel Cresswell
PA

In the post, which went viral in October 2019, Rooney said she had carried out a months-long “sting operation” and accused Vardy of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the press.

Her sleuthing efforts saw her dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ in reference to the popular mystery writer Agatha Christie and the term ‘wags’, used to refer to wives and girlfriends of sports people.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama
Rebekah Vardy played by Natalia Tena and Jamie Vardy played by Marton Nagyszokolyai
PA

The high-profile court case is also being turned into a West End play with stage actress Lucy May Barker playing Vardy while Laura Dos Santos, who has appeared in Doctor Who, will play Rooney.

In August, Disney+ confirmed it is creating a three-part documentary series about the court battle with “exclusive access” to Rooney.

Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is running at Wyndham’s Theatre until January 10.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama
Coleen Rooney played by Chanel Cresswell
PA

Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama is set to air on Channel 4 in December.

A short clip of the show will also be available on Monday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in