• “Til I Kill You” follows Delia Balmer, who is in a relationship with serial killer John Sweeney.
• Sweeney gave evidence against Balmer after he attacked her and was supported by his new partner David.
• The actor who plays David said the character is a “watered-down” version of the real man.

True crime drama”Until It Kills You“It tells the story of Delia Balmer (Anna Maxwell Martin) and her relationship with serial killer John Sweeney (Shaun Evans).

When they started dating in 1991, Balmer did not know that Sweeney had killed his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Halstead. His remains were found in a canal in Rotterdam in 1990. Sweeney also killed another woman in 2000. Police suspect but have not been able to prove that he killed three other women between the late 1970s and the late 1980s.

Sweeney attacked Balmer with an ax outside his London home in December 1994 and then went on the run for six years. Police caught him in 2001.

Following the attack, Delia moved to a new house in a different part of London, where she began a relationship with David (Kevin Doyle), a local taxi driver.

In the series, the relationship lasts around four years and David provides her with safety and security as she testifies against Sweeney in court regarding the attack.

“Til I Kill You” follows other compelling true crime dramas of 2024: “baby reindeer,” “Under the Bridge” and “monsters“

Produced by the British channel ITV, the program highlights the difficulties faced by victims of domestic violence seeking justice.

Kevin Doyle said his version of David in “Till I Kill You” was “a little watered down.”

Doyle said David was inspired by a real person Balmer dated in the early 2000s.

He said that director Julia Ford wanted David to be the exact opposite of Sweeney.

He said: “I’m not one of those actors who does a lot of research unless they have to and I didn’t think it was the case in this case so I didn’t find out more about David but Julia told me what she saw in the character.

“He said he wanted there to be something very calm and reassuring and pleasant about him; he wanted it to be as much of a contrast as possible to the darkness that Shaun brings as Sweeney.”

Doyle said the character is different from the real-life version of David.

She said: “There are aspects of David that we watered down slightly, like him being a heavy smoker, but Delia still found comfort in the stability that David offered and he seemed to genuinely offer something loving.

“He was very generous with his time and money, but he still didn’t fully commit to the relationship and they lasted three or four years together.”

The real David also encouraged Balmer to testify against her attacker, but the actress said this led to the end of their relationship.

He said: “He’s always been absolutely supportive of Delia and very much wants Sweeney to be jailed. “This was actually the beginning of the breakdown of the relationship because he wanted her to be fully involved in the police attempt to imprison Sweeney, but he just wanted to get away from it and get on with his new life.

“He didn’t insist on it, but he was always suggesting that it would be a better path for him in the long run, and in the end he reluctantly agreed to it.”