Sheridan Smith joins Ann Ming in Durham for emotional screening of I Fought The Law
The four-part ITV drama, which begins this weekend, tells the extraordinary, devastating and inspiring story of a mother's 17-year fight for justice for her daughter
The Gala Theatre in Durham was the setting for a powerful and moving screening of the first episode of ITV’s new drama I Fought The Law on Thursday night.
Cast, crew, and those who helped bring the production to life gathered to watch the story of Ann Ming - the Teesside mother whose tireless 17-year fight changed an 800-year-old law.
The series, produced by Hera Pictures and filmed entirely in the North East with the support of regional screen agency North East Screen, stars Sheridan Smith as Ann. It dramatises the campaign she waged after her daughter Julie Hogg was murdered in 1989, and her killer initially walked free under the double jeopardy rule.
For many of the North East crew, the project carried extra weight. Having lived through the original events, they were determined to tell Ann’s story with authenticity and respect.
That commitment was recognised by the BAFTA winning lead actress, and the series’ executive producer Charlotte Webber, director Erik Richter Strand and writer Jamie Crichton, who all praised the warmth, skill and professionalism of local teams in bringing the series to the screen.
Sheridan, who has described this role as her most difficult to date, said she was “in awe” of Ann’s courage. “I instantly knew that I had to play Ann - because of her story, her resilience, her strength and everything she went through to fight an 800-year-old law, she just wouldn't give up.”
The deep bond between Sheridan and Ann was clear at the event, as the two posed together holding hands and gave interviews side by side. Ann admitted it was “like watching herself on screen” while Sheridan said she hoped the series would ensure people knew Ann was “a genuine hero.”
Ann explained why she finally agreed to a dramatisation. “I have been approached many times over the years, but it was Hera Pictures’ – with Jamie’s script and the idea that Sheridan would play me – which made me want to do it.
“I’ve watched everything she’s ever done and I think she’s amazing.”
She added that she hopes the series will secure Julie’s place in history: “I would like people to remember Julie as someone who made an important change in the law, rather than the girl who was found under a bath.”
It was 80 days after Julie went missing that Ann found her daughter’s remains - a discovery which forensic detectives failed to make despite spending five days investigating at her house during the days following her disappearance.
Writer Jamie Crichton, who drew on Ann’s book For The Love of Julie for much of the story acknowledged the emotional burden of the evening: “I felt guilty about putting Ann and her family through watching such a harrowing episode on the screen; but I felt incredibly privileged to have been allowed to tell her story.”
Executive producer Charlotte Webber said she was struck from the outset by Ann’s pragmatism and determination - and hopes the drama will bring her incredible achievements to the attention of millions more people.
“How could I not have heard of Ann or know what happened to her daughter Julie?” she said. “Ann lays out everything in extraordinary detail, and a drama provides the space to explore the emotional stakes of her fight, and bring something beyond what the book, and subsequent documentaries, can give us.”
For director Erik Richter Strand, shooting in the North East was essential. Locations in Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and across Teesside brought Ann and Julie’s world vividly to the screen, while the support of the community and regional agency North East Screen made production possible.
The Gala Theatre screening underlined the resonance of the story for the region - the post-screening Q&A was hosted by former Tyne Tees Television reporter Peter Holland, who conducted the TV interview portrayed in the first episode which saw Ann, holding her grandson - Julie’s three-year-old son Kevin - while tearfully appealing for her daughter to get in touch.
“These are the stories that need to be told,” said Sheridan. “A lovely, ordinary, working-class lady from up north who achieved so much. I feel so honoured to have been a part of recognising what Ann did in a way which will hopefully reach millions of people - and then they will know how amazing she is too.”
The first episode of I Fought The Law airs on ITV on Sunday (August 31) and will stream on ITVX.