75-minute documentary tells a real-life thriller story – the case of Anisah Ahmed and Iqbal Mohammed

​The 1987 movie Fatal Attraction wasn’t just a box-office hit – it was a cultural phenomenon.

The tale of a married man (Michael Douglas) who has a passionate fling with a woman (Glenn Close) who then makes it very clear that she’s not just going to let him go back to his wife and family like nothing happened, it clearly touched a nerve. One of its most famous scenes even inspired the term ‘bunny boiler’ for a scorned lover who won’t take a hint.

However, few people would have described it as grittily realistic, but perhaps that will change after they watch this dramatised documentary, The Real Fatal Attraction, about a case that bears a striking resemblance to the movie.

It began in 2010, when Anisah Ahmed connected with barrister Iqbal Mohammed via social media, saying she wanted career advice. They eventually met in person and embarked on an affair, but then Anisah discovered he was married.

Although the documentary is told from Iqbal’s perspective, at this point some viewers may have a few questions about his behaviour.

Bridget Boseley, creative director of the documentary’s production company, Wag Entertainment told Broadcast: “There is some sympathy for Anisah and Iqbal is not without blame since it was he who was having the affair. He owns that in the story.”

However, what happened next could not have been foreseen when Iqbal began their affair. Following Anisah’s discovery and the end of their relationship, she set out to ruin his life and reputation with a multi-layered revenge plot.

Iqbal’s life ended up in ruins as his wife left him and he was suspended from work. By the time he was detained in a prison cell accused of rape, he was considering taking his own life.

Drawing on his legal skills, he began fighting back to clear his name, but Annisah was about to make another accusation. She staged a dramatic kidnap and sustained a serious knife injury which she claimed was carried out on the orders of Iqbal Mohammed. The police investigating the case were not completely convinced by her story and began to suspect that her injury was self-inflicted. But could they find a way to prove it?

The Real Fatal Attraction isn’t the only programme airing today that offers a cautionary tale of a relationship gone wrong.

Channel 5 is also bringing us a new series My Boyfriend Made Me Do It (10pm), which meets people who were coerced or tricked into committing crimes by their partners.

The first episode features the story of Canadian social-media entrepreneur Emily, who fell for her client, Noah. He eventually stopped paying her business invoices, and by way of an apology offered to take her on holiday to Puerto Rico.

At the airport, he announced they were going to St Lucia instead, but it would take a few more days for him to reveal the real purpose of their trip – she was expected to smuggle several kilos of cocaine into Canada for criminals who already had her passport information.