WARNING: Spoilers ahead as I fought the law on ITV’s The Local
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ann Ming’s story, like I was when I sat down to watch Sheridan Smith’s new ITV drama, you may feel like you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years.
But once you get past that feeling and your inner shock starts to dissipate, you start to realize that I Fought the Law is a series that will stay with you for quite some time after the end credits roll.
The four-part series is a gripping true story about one woman’s fight to bring her daughter’s killer to justice, who was controversially acquitted after two false reports.
Based on Anne’s book about Julie’s love, it was written for the screen by Jamie Crichton.
It depicts a mother of three’s 15-year fight against the 800-year-old double jeopardy law that stopped a person from being tried twice for the same offense after being acquitted or convicted.
We also follow how the family deals with Julia’s disappearance in Billingham, Cleveland in 1989, after her late shift at a pizza parlor.
Sheridan, who has returned to her Bafta-winning Cilla and Mrs Biggs best, is simply masterful in her portrayal of Anna.
She proved so convincing on set that the crew started saying she walked differently off camera, she told Metro Local.
Plus, Annie has previously admitted that she thought she was looking at herself when she saw Sheridan’s character.
Ann Ming speaks to Metro about her devastating loss
Senior feature writer Josie Copson speaks with Ann Ming, the mother who campaigned to change the law in her daughter’s honor.
Ann Ming sits on stage at a private cinema in Soho; her fingers are intertwined with the hand of an emotional Sheridan Smith, the actor who portrays a grieving mother in the upcoming ITV drama, I Fought the Law.
Ann is proud of the gravitas of the day, but she would give anything not to be here.
“There’s nothing pleasant about the whole scenario, to be honest, because Julia never comes back,” she tells Metro Area. “I’m glad I changed the law, but there’s always that real downside.”
On February 1, 1990, three months after Julia disappeared, Ann stopped by to see if she could help Andrew with a terrible bathroom odor that was getting worse every day. When she tentatively pushed open a bathroom panel, Ann discovered her daughter’s decomposing body wrapped in a blanket.
She tells Metro that this moment of relaxation on TV is the hardest to watch.
“Sheridan got it exactly right, so when I watch it, I go through it. I was hysterical, screaming, ‘She’s under the bath, she’s under the bath!'” Ann explains, clapping her hands together in front of her face.
Anne, who received an MBE for services to the criminal justice system in 2007, went on to write a book about her fight over the long-running decision, which has since led to 15 convictions. When she heard ITV wanted to turn her story into a drama starring Sheridan, 44, she gave them her blessing: “I’ve watched everything she’s ever been on and I love her.”
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The production design and 80s feel that director Erik Richter Strand manages to create is also very admirable, especially with the grainy house shots in the opening credits.
But head and shoulders above the rest are two of the darkest minutes of television I’ve seen all year.
After a search by incompetent forensic police officers, Ann discovers her daughter in the bathtub three months later, as her body begins to decompose.
![Lūdzu, ņemiet vērā attēlus, un šeit esošā informācija ir stingri embargā līdz pirmdienai, 2025. gada 4. augustam, no Heras attēliem, es cīnījos ar likumu par ITV1 un ITVX attēlā: Šeridāns Smits kā Ann Ming, Daniel York Loh kā Charlie Ming & Buddy Wingnall-Ho As Kevin Hogg, kas ir tieši savienots ar (C), vai arī var būt, vai var būt, vai ir tikai reprezentēts. virs, vai itv plc. Ar šo fotogrāfiju nedrīkst manipulēt [excluding basic cropping] tādā veidā, kas maina fotografētās personas vizuālo izskatu, uzskata par kaitīgu vai nepiemērotu ITV PLC attēla galds. Šo fotogrāfiju nedrīkst sindicēt nevienam citam uzņēmumam, publikācijai vai tīmekļa vietnei vai pastāvīgi arhivētai bez skaidras rakstiskas ITV attēla galda atļaujas. Pilni noteikumi un nosacījumi ir pieejami vietnē www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms, lai iegūtu papildinformāciju, lūdzu, sazinieties ar: michael.taiwo1@itv.com](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SEI_261079413-f7e7.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
From Sheridan’s horror as Anna after she finds her daughter, to how she shields her grandson from knowing about the discovery, I don’t remember ever feeling as terrified and excited as I did when I first watched this episode.
As is the case with most gritty dramas based on true stories, the darkness of this story and the frustration it builds inside you as you see Annie being rejected by the government can feel overwhelming at times.
The series has a truly life-affirming and inspiring real-life ending, with Annie achieving justice for her daughter’s killer years later.
In terms of how it highlights such a big societal issue and shows what an extraordinary woman Ann is, I fought that the law is great.
I fought that the law was available to watch on ITVX.
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