I Swear: On the red carpet with the cast and creatives at the London premiere

Based on the life of John Davidson, I Swear is the biopic story of his diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome when there was limited information surrounding the neurological condition. Sensitively written and directed by Kirk Jones, the feature underpins the emotional journey with humour and authenticity.

The film follows the timeline of John as a teenager into adulthood, the misunderstandings within his own family towards his condition, bullying from his peers, and finally finding a place of acceptance and being awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2019.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of attending the London premiere, where we spoke to Davidson about having his story told, how he felt watching the first edit and what he hopes viewers will take away from watching the movie.

Robert Aramayo spoke to us about stepping into the role of John, how he prepared to play him authentically by spending time with him and working with a brilliant ensemble cast.

We chatted to Scott Ellis Watson about playing the younger version of John, him as a teenager when the tics started and how he prepared to portray him.

Maxine Peake spoke to us about playing Dottie, a friend of John’s mother, whose empathetic approach helped shape the future of John and his ability to achieve a fulfilling life.

Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan spoke about the project and what made them come on board, as well as their respective roles in the film.

As a Tourettes sufferer herself, Andrea Bisset spoke about her personal journey, playing Lucy in the film and working with Aramayo on scenes that portray the underlying humour in the film.

Director Jones was keen to share why he wanted to tell John’s story, the importance of collaboration to make it as authentic as possible and what he hopes people will take away from watching it.

TV personality Pete Bennett also spoke about his own journey from his time in the Big Brother house and why this film is so important in raising awareness of the condition.

Ezelle Alblas

I Swear is released nationwide on 10^th October 2025.

Watch the trailer for I Swear here: