Girl Taken is currently in the top 10 TV shows on Paramount+ but what’s the true story behind it?

The series is based on a book, which has some truth to it…

Paramount+ viewers have dived into dark thriller Girl Taken, which has quickly become one of the most talked-about shows on the platform. As the twists pile up and Alfie Allen delivers what many are calling his most unsettling performance yet, one question keeps coming up: is Girl Taken actually based on a true story?

The six-part series arrived on the streaming service this week and has already shot into the streaming service’s top 10 shows. Allen is unsetting as Rick Hansen – a groomer, abductor, rapist and murderer.

The story centres on schoolgirl Lily Riser, who is abducted by teacher Rick and held captive for more than five years. When she finally manages to escape, she thinks it’s over. But he has other ideas…

So how much of Girl Taken is rooted in real life? Here’s what you need to know.
Girl Taken is currently in the top 10 series on Paramount+ (Credit: Paramount+)

Is Girl Taken a true story?

Despite how disturbing and believable it feels, Girl Taken is not actually a true story. The series is adapted from the novel Baby Doll by author Hollie Overton. That said, Overton has spoken openly about drawing on elements of her own life to shape the emotional truth of the book.

Baby Doll was her debut novel and became a breakout success, landing her onto bestseller lists. However, what many readers don’t realise is that Overton’s own background is marked by trauma and complexity, which feeds into her writing.

Hollie’s own dad was part of the Overton Gang in Austin, Texas, and served several years in prison for manslaughter. Raised by her single mother, and an identical twin herself, Hollie has said her childhood helped her write about violence, fear and family relationships with authenticity and empathy.

She explained: “Baby Doll is my first novel, and so much of it is formed by my own childhood experiences. An identical twin, I was born in Chicago, and adopted at six days old, along with my identical twin sister, Heather, and carried home in matching red Christmas stockings.

“My father was a member of the Overton Gang and spent several years in prison for manslaughter. Unfortunately, he found family life overwhelming. His addictions began to consume him, leading to my parent’s divorce. My mother relocated my sister and I to her hometown of Kingsville, Texas. A theatre nerd, I spent my childhood dreaming of bright lights and big cities.”

Alfie Allen as Rick Hansen in Girl Taken, but is it based on a true story? (Credit: Paramount+)

Was Rick Hansen based a real person?

Rick Hansen is not a real individual, but the character is informed by Overton’s close exposure to criminal behaviour. Like Rick, her father could come across as charming and magnetic, while hiding a far darker side.

Speaking about him, Hollie has said: “My father […] was deeply troubled. There were moments when he appeared perfectly normal, a handsome charming man with midnight black hair, smooth olive skin and a smile that you had to earn. Other times, darkness consumed him as he sought refuge in a bottle of Jack Daniels, often numbing his pain with whatever else he could get his hands on.

“Once he had his fix, he would turn his rage towards my mother and my stepmother, terrorising and battering them, while my twin sister and I pleaded for him to stop.”

Darrell Overton was a real-life Texas outlaw and a member of the Overton Gang during the 1960s. The gang dealt in “drugs, guns, and girls” and built a reputation for violence and intimidation.

At the age of 21, Darrell was imprisoned for manslaughter. He maintained that the killing was self-defence after a “wronged husband came knocking with a sawed-off shotgun”. He ultimately served seven years of a 10-year sentence.
Natascha Kampusch was imprisoned by her captor for more than eight years (Credit: Viaplay)

Is Girl Taken based on the Natascha Kampusch true story?

Some viewers and critics have drawn comparisons between Girl Taken and the real-life case of Natascha Kampusch. Aged just 10, the Austrian schoolgirl was abducted by Wolfgang Přiklopil and imprisoned in a concealed cellar for more than eight years before managing to escape. Přiklopil took his own life on the day she fled.

Natascha’s ordeal has been explored in several documentaries and dramatisations, including:

Natascha: The Girl in the Cellar (2010).
Natascha Kampusch: The Whole Story (2010).
3096 Days (2013).
Natascha Kampusch: A Lifetime in Prison (2022).
The Girl in the Cellar: 8 Years Underground (2023).

She also documented her experiences in a book titled 3,096 Days, referencing the number of days she was held captive. While there were reports that she had a child as a result of rape during her imprisonment, Natascha later denied those claims.