One of the highest profile libel cases of recent times, the Rebekah Vardy v Coleen Rooney court case, aka Wagatha Christie, made for peak entertainment earlier this year. So it’s not that surprising that Channel 4 has decided to make a drama-documentary series all about it.
Styled as a dramatised reconstruction with actors playing Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney and their respective footballer husbands, Jamie Vardy and Wayne Rooney, the two-parter titled Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama will also feature added media analysis and social commentary, recreating and then analysing the key points of the High Court defamation case using real court transcripts verbatim. As the case was not allowed to be televised, this will be an eye-opening look into the trial the nation was hooked on like an episode of Eastenders.
The saga first came to light in October 2019 when Coleen Rooney claimed (via social media) that Rebekah Vardy’s Instagram account was responsible for leaking false stories about her personal life to the press. The saga was quickly dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’, but Rebekah denied the claims and tried to sue Coleen for libel.
The trial took place in May this year but the ruling is still yet to be announced.
Tom Popay, Creative Director at production company Chalkboard said: ‘The #WagathaChristie phenomenon has become one of the most talked about moments in the history of social media. The court case that followed has captivated the entire nation but very few people actually got to see what happened inside the courtroom. We’re excited to bring the trial to life in such a unique way and we’re hoping we can get to the bottom of how this case fascinated and amazed so many.’
He added: ‘The court transcripts are utterly compelling and give a deep insight into the relationship between celebrities and the media, as well as showing how far some people will go to protect their reputation.’
Oonagh Kearney, director, said: ‘This trial utterly captivated the public with its daily feed of entertaining exchanges and jaw-dropping reveals. But behind this, is a story of two women under constant public scrutiny, fighting for their reputations.’
The release date is yet to be announced.
