Writer’s latest series created with campaigner Ellen Roome and Simon Cowell’s partner, Lauren Cowell

Jeff Pope will explore the devastating impact social media can have on children in his latest drama for ITV.

The as-yet-untitled series will follow the story of Ellen Roome and families around the world who have campaigned for better online safety. The Knowledge’s sister title Broadcast reported that Featuristic Films was prepping an Ellen Roome factual drama in December last year. 

Produced by Pope’s ITV Studios-backed indie Etta Pictures, the series will examine the extent to which technology companies are able to evade responsibility for children’s social media usage and the effects it has.

Pope’s interest in the drama came after meeting Lauren Cowell – partner of TV mogul Simon Cowell – who had been working with Ellen Roome.

Roome believes the tragic death of her 14-year-old son Julian (‘Jools’) in 2022 could be linked to harmful social media and has fought for answers from technology companies both in the UK and in the US. She will act as a consultant for the drama, working with Pope and Etta Pictures throughout the writing of the series.

Roome said: “The fact that ITV and Jeff Pope are committed to this drama has genuinely given me a huge sense of hope and reassurance. I truly feel they will not only tell my story, but most importantly Jools’ story, with the care, sensitivity and integrity it deserves.”

Alongside Pope, Lauren Cowell will executive produce the drama series, which is produced in association with Featuristic Films.

“I think we are at a point in history when every parent is starting to ask questions about social media and what it is doing to our children,” added Pope.

“It’s appalling that parents aren’t given the information they need in the quest for answers about what has happened to their children.”

The drama was ordered by ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill, who added that the show is “an urgent campaigning story and the most challenging issue we all face is how to keep our children safe on social media.”

The drama swiftly follows Pope’s factual drama Believe Me for ITV, which examined the case of John Worboys, dubbed ‘the black cab rapist’, and tracked his victims’ fight for justice.

Pope’s other credits include Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Little Boy Blue, and The Walk-In.