The BBC’s latest drama series, Prisoner 951, has renewed public interest in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was wrongly imprisoned in Iran for six years. Prisoner 951 has been described by viewers as “powerful” and, as well as evoking strong emotions from those tuning in, has sparked a desire to learn more about the real-life events it was inspired by.
One storyline of particular interest involves Boris Johnson’s role in how Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case played out, which we get an insight into in episode three of Prisoner 951. Here’s what we know about Johnson’s involvement and impact on the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case in real life…
What did Boris Johnson do in the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case?
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As we go into detail about here, in 2016, British-Iranian national Zaghari-Ratcliffe travelled to Tehran with her daughter to visit her parents for Iranian New Year. As they prepared to return to the UK, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was taken into custody and her daughter’s British passport revoked.
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Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who had previously worked for the BBC World Service Trust and Reuters, was accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, allegations she denied. Her daughter’s passport was returned, and she was given into the care of her maternal grandparents, but Zaghari-Ratcliffe remained in custody, and she was put into solitary confinement for over eight months. During this time, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was denied access to a lawyer and, at trial, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Her imprisonment in Iran sparked national outrage in the UK, and her husband Richard Ratcliffe spent years campaigning for her release, even going on hunger strike in a bid to urge the UK government to do more.
During this time, Johnson – who was then the UK’s Foreign Secretary – told a Foreign Affairs Select Committee that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in Iran “simply teaching people journalism”. This contradicted the actual reason she was there (that being, to visit her family for Iranian New Year), and prompted the Iranian authorities to use the statement as proof that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been conducting “propaganda against the regime” – something she and her family strongly and consistently denied.
In a bid to mend the damage caused, the Foreign Office later released a statement which said Johnson’s remarks provided “no justifiable basis on which to bring any additional charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe”. The statement also made reference to Johnson’s plans to call his Iranian counterpart and ensure his remarks were “not misrepresented”.
Unfortunately for Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Iranian state pushed forward and used Johnson’s comment as “grounds” for sentencing her to more years in prison.
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Boris Johnson and Richard Ratcliffe.
In Prisoner 951, all of this plays out off-camera, as there’s no character portrayal of Johnson. Instead, we see Johnson via news clips broadcast at the time.
Speaking about why that is, the show’s writer said Johnson was not cast in Prisoner 951 to avoid his “involvement” detracting attention from Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s story, which is the focus.
“I decided we shouldn’t have an actor [for Johnson],” writer Stephen Butchard told Radio Times. “Boris Johnson is almost a caricature himself, and if you bring in an actor to play that caricature, you get a buffoon. You might want to do it, but it wouldn’t be truthful.”
He went on: “You look for archive footage – from the news, say – and you play what he said off other characters.”
Did Boris Johnson and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe meet in real life?
Following her release, Zaghari-Ratcliffe met Johnson in 2022, by which point he was Prime Minister. In their meeting, Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PM she had “lived in the shadow” of his words, which had a “lasting impact” on her case – per the BBC.
As for whether Johnson apologised for this, it seems not. Speaking about his wife’s meeting with the PM, Ratcliffe said that while the meeting was “warm”, Johnson had “not explicitly” apologised for the “mistakes” he’d made.
That being said, Johnson apologised (via the BBC) for the remarks, telling MPs in 2017 that he acknowledged “the words I used were open to being misinterpreted”.
Prisoner 951 continues on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday 30 November and Monday 1 December. All four episodes are already available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK’s freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
