Wagatha Christie: Cork filmmaker to direct Channel 4's Vardy v Rooney court drama

Ballintemple's Oonagh Kearney is tasked with directing a two-part docudrama based on the high-profile defamation case that held social media rapt this year

Filmmaker Oonagh Kearney: directing Channel 4's upcoming dramatisation of the Wagatha Christie case. Picture: Clare Keogh

 UK broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a dramatic reconstruction of the Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney defamation case.

Two-part docudrama Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, will recreate the case using the real court transcripts verbatim, juxtaposed with analysis from the media and on social media, while actors will play the parts of the main protagonists including Rebekah Vardy, Coleen Rooney and their soccer-star husbands, Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy.

Rebekah Vardy leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice, London, as the high-profile libel battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney waged on in May 2022.

Directing the series will be Oonagh Kearney, a film-maker from Ballintemple in Cork. A former pupil of the Ursuline Convent in Blackrock, she also studied at the National Film and Television School in London, and has made her name with a series of high-profile shorts, documentary work and collaborations.

In the statement accompanying the drama's announcement, she says: "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. 

"It's a privilege to work with Channel 4, writer Chris Atkins and the fantastic Chalkboard team to peel back the layers of this story and reveal the beating hearts within."

Coleen and Wayne Rooney leaving the Royal Courts Of Justice, London, in May of 2022.

Tom Popay, Creative Director at film-makers Chalkboard said, "The Wagatha Christie 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."