Stephen on ITV: Release date, cast, trailer and more for Stephen Lawrence drama

Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan said it was an "honour" to star in ITV drama Stephen, in which he plays DCI Clive Driscoll – the man who managed to secure convictions for two of Lawrence's murderers.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Coogan said: "It was an honour to play Clive really, because as an actor I don't often play nice people... So it was a nice change for me to play someone who had integrity, simple unannounced integrity, if you like."

The real-life former DCI Clive Driscoll has discussed Steve Coogan's casting in Stephen, revealing he thanked the Alan Partridge actor for starring in the ITV drama, and for "keeping Stephen's story out there".

In Stephen, viewers will be returning to the story of the Lawrence family and their fight for justice. This drama will pick back up in 2006, 13 years after the murder, at another turning point in the case.

We're told by ITV: "The production team are producing this sequel with the full support of the Lawrence family, most notably Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Dr Neville Lawrence, who have given the drama their blessing."

Read on for everything you need to know about Stephen.

Release date for ITV's Stephen Lawrence drama

Confirmed: Stephen will start on Monday 30th August at 9pm on ITV.

The series consists of three episodes and is a sequel to ITV's The Murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Stephen on ITV cast

Sharlene Whyte (Small Axe, We Hunt Together) takes the role of Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence, with Hugh Quarshie (Breeders) reprising his performance of Neville Lawrence from the original award-winning ITV drama.

BAFTA award winning actor Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie, Philomena) plays DCI Clive Driscoll, who led the investigation into the murder of the Lawrences’ beloved son.

The drama series also stars Richie Campbell, Jordan Myrie, Sian Brooke and Adil Ray.

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

What is Stephen about?

Black British teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered on the evening of 22nd April 1993 in a racially motivated attack whilst waiting for a bus in Well Hall Road, Eltham, in London.

The Lawrences' campaign for justice would bring about a public inquiry which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist, resulting in lasting changes in the law.

However, it wasn't until over 18 years after Stephen Lawrence's death that his killers were brought to justice, as the original investigation had failed to convict those responsible.

The three-part series Stephen is set in 2006 and "tells the story of the ongoing struggle by Doreen and Neville Lawrence to achieve justice and how a detective, DCI Clive Driscoll – working closely with the Lawrences – puts together an investigation that finally – more than 18 years after his death – secures the convictions of two of the gang who committed the murder of Stephen".

The drama is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Joe Cottrell Boyce. It comes from production company HTM Television, or "Hat Trick Mercurio", in association with Baby Cow Productions. The executive producers are Paul Greengrass, Mark Redhead, Jimmy Mulville and Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio.

"There were lots of scenes that were difficult [to film], including the reconstruction by Clive and his team in a police photographic studio of how Stephen was attacked," Steve Coogan said, adding,"It affects you deeply. In some ways the understatement of it, the mechanical, dispassionate way it’s enacted and recreated, somehow accentuates the horror of it and the inhumanity of the violence because of the clinical way it is displayed.”

Executive producer Mark Redhead said: “It’s a privilege to be working with Doreen and Neville Lawrence to tell this chapter of the story of their campaign for justice for Stephen. It’s a story that moves and inspires and is ever more resonant and relevant today.”

The director is Alrick Riley, and the producer is Madonna Baptiste.

Stephen on ITV trailer

Here's a brief, first-look trailer:

Visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight, or check out the rest of our Drama coverage.