In her new ITV drama, Sheridan Smith plays a campaigning mother.
In the four-part series I Fought The Law, the actor plays Ann Ming, who battled to bring her daughter’s killer to justice. Filming for the new show has begun in Hartlepool, County Durham, and pictures from the set depict Sheridan in a different light.
Sheridan is seen in the photos from her filming sequences dressed in a nurse’s costume with a large raincoat worn over it. Her short, closely clipped curls have taken the place of her beautiful blonde waves.
The narrative of Ann, whose daughter Julie Hogg was killed in 1989 when she was just 22 years old, is told in I Fought The Law. After two unsuccessful jury trials for her murder, William “Billy” Dunlop boasted of escaping punishment for the crime.
Ann waged a relentless fight to abolish the 800-year-old double jeopardy laws. Her perseverance paid off, as Dunlop was given a life sentence in prison in 2006.
Sheridan said when the series was announced: “I am so honored to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed. She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.”
Based on Ann’s book For The Love Of Julie, the planned television series has a script. It describes how she and her family dealt with Julie’s disappearance in November 1989, following her late shift at a nearby pizza restaurant. Julie was the mother of a three-year-old son. The bereaved mother will also serve as a consultant for the duration of the TV show’s development.
She said: “My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law. I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie.
“I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me. Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful.”