Drama about Anthony Walker, victim of racist murder, in works at BBC One

BBC One has commissioned a feature film on Anthony Walker, a teenager who was killed in a racist attack in Liverpool in 2005.

Titled Anthony, the 90-minute drama is inspired by conversations with the teenager's mother Gee Walker and will look at what his life could have been had he lived, the British broadcaster said in a statement.

The film is written by BAFTA winner Jimmy McGovern, known for his work on The Street and Hillsborough about the 1989 football stadium tragedy.

The Feed actor Toheeb Jimoh will play the title role, with Rakie Ayola of Noughts + Crosses fame will portray the role of Gee Walker.

The mother of the 18-year-old, who was killed after being racially abused while waiting at a bus stop in Huyton with his white girlfriend, said she wanted McGovern for the project as she couldn't think of anyone more suited who could depict, highlight and draw attention to the hard messages of a life not lived – "Anthony's unfilled dreams, his potentials and the many lives he would have impacted on – which now will never be realized".

McGovern said he has known Gee Walker for many years and every time he needed to write about loss or grief he had gone to her.

"... and she had always been generous with her time and her profound wisdom. But one day she came to me and asked me to write about her beloved Anthony. I said, 'Gee, if you're asking such a thing, I feel I have a God-given duty to do it.' And so I did it," the writer said.

The film will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios.