May 33rd

May 33rd explores of the consequences of repeated ritual abuse, as seen through the eyes of Ella (Lia Williams) whose personality has fragmented into five different people.

While trying to escape her family - a small group of relatives and their friends who have abused her since childhood - Ella visits Edward (Soren Byder), an osteopath, to relieve the pains in her body.

As he applies pressure to different parts of her body, she is triggered into different personalities. The drama explores the shocking condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, a condition associated with ritual abuse.

Five years after writing No Child of Mine Guy Hibbert heard about the condition Dissociative Identity Disorder. He discovered that young women all over the UK were suffering from it as a result of ritual abuse.

He explains: "The research led me to professionals working in this field and the victims of this horrific cruelty. One of my reasons for writing this drama is to encourage a greater understanding of both the condition of Dissociative Identity Disorder and its causes."

Guy was shocked to find that the abuse is often so cruel that people have difficulty believing what has happened to these women. "Society prefers to disbelieve the victims because it cannot cope with the truth."


May 33rd was first broadcast on 21st April 2004 on BBC One.

'May 33rd is a bold and subtle exploration of a condition that affects many women in the UK yet remains shrouded in mystery and fear ' - Controller of Drama Commissioning, BBC (2004)

Jane Tranter