Is Payback based on a true story? Writer explains inspiration

One such character is Cal Morris (Peter Mullan), a gangster who has evaded justice on several occasions, but a financial crimes police unit is now closer than ever to ensnaring him.

The series comes from screenwriter Debbie O'Malley (Call the Midwife), who told press that the story has its roots in real events that have revealed the huge extent to which similar crimes are committed.

Is Payback based on a true story?

Although Payback is not based directly on a single true story, O'Malley has confirmed that multiple aspects of the drama were inspired by factual events.

"The first was something that had been in my mind for quite a long time, which was an unsolved true crime," she began. "There was a Scottish banker about 18 years ago who was at home with his family for the evening.

"His wife was upstairs bathing the kids and he answered the door to a courier and was shot dead on his doorstep. It's quite a well-known story and they've never solved it. There are all sorts of theories about it, such as, 'Was it to do with a former client?' or, 'Was it a property dispute?'"

O'Malley is seemingly referring to the 2004 murder of Alistair Wilson, which has been described as one of Scotland's "most mysterious unsolved crimes".

She continued: "Nobody knows, but the key element that stayed with me was the thought of the wife who was upstairs, wrapping her kids in towels or whatever.

"And between being at the top of those stairs and walking down and finding her husband dead on the doorstep, her entire life changed."

Of course, the parallel with Lexie's plight in the series is obvious, with her hard-hitting story of grief playing alongside the more traditional crime thriller elements.

Payback executive producer Jed Mercurio also felt there was mileage in exploring a darker side to accountancy, with a major news story that broke during development confirming it to be fertile ground.

"Jed had the idea of accountants and then the Panama Papers leak happened," recalled O'Malley.

"Suddenly everyone was very aware of just how much illegal cash was washing through the system and of the fact that these shady offshore companies were owning large amounts of UK property and it was very hard to track who owned what.

"Those elements all came together and that was the way into Payback."

O'Malley also found inspiration for her characters from real-life case studies, although she declined to share which of the UK's dangerous criminal minds influenced the creation of cold and calculating Cal Morris. That's understandable!

"I wouldn't say that any of them are directly based on specific people, but I did do an enormous amount of research into organised crime and into the major players – particularly in the UK, in terms of big crime families and the heads of those families who have managed to evade prosecution for long periods of time," she revealed.

"With Cal... that type of personality is something I became very interested in, because they tended to be guys who didn't just inspire fear.

"They had track records of committing acts of sickening and brutal violence, but they also inspired loyalty and people wanted to be their friends. There was a charisma and a charm about them that was very dangerous but also very seductive."

But it isn't only the outright villains who have their basis in reality. DC Jibran Khan (played by Line of Duty's Prasanna Puwanarajah) also contains aspects of a real individual involved in the show.

"We had a fantastic advisor named Kenny Thomson, who was a former DCI in financial crime for Police Scotland, and he probably is very much the inspiration for DC Jibran Khan," explained O'Malley.

"Initially Jibran was quite a jaded, cynical career policeman. And then I talked to someone who had a really interesting journey into the police; he started out in banking, then became one of the youngest bank managers in the country before deciding to start all over again by joining the police force and working his way up.

She added: "There was something about his passion, as opposed to the jaded idea I'd initially had, that inspired me to rethink the character."

Payback premieres on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesday 4th October 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.