I Fought The Law has had viewers in tears and as Sheridan Smith’s triumphant return to the screen plays out, she is joined by a host of other familiar faces
I Fought The Law has had viewers in tears in recent days after the ITV drama first began to air. The four-part series follows the remarkable true story of the story of Ann Ming, a mother-of-three from Billingham, County Durham, who battled for 15 years to see her daughter Julie’s killer brought to justice after he was initially acquitted.
Julie Hogg, aged 22, was a mother to three-year-old son Kevin and wife to husband Andrew. She vanished after working a late shift at a local pizza parlour.
Heartbreakingly, Ann found Julie’s body hidden in the bathroom of her home in January 1990. 80 days earlier, the murderer had concealed Julie’s body behind the bath panel.
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Despite extensive searches by police forensics teams after Julie’s disappearance, they failed to locate Julie’s body.
The brand new drama features a stellar cast, headed up by none other than British TV legend Sheridan Smith, who has been a regular face on screens for decades. She started her career as Janet Smith on the BBC Three sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, which she appeared on alongside the likes of Ralf Little, Natalie Casey and Beverley Callard.
During the show’s lengthy run throughout the 2000s, she also appeared on Fat Friends opposite Emmerdale star Lisa Riley as well as sunny sitcom Benidorm and BBC favourite Gavin & Stacey. She then turned to musical theatre, winning an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Elle Woods, the character made famous by Reese Witherspoon, in the West End production of Legally Blonde.
Further stage credits in Funny Girl and, more recently, Shirley Valentine and Opening Night followed.
But it’s gritty dramas that Sheridan has really made her mark. In 2014, she starred as Cilla Black in Cilla, played a cleaner with a gambling addiction in Cleaning Up and also starred in a number of true crime dramas with her the mother of a young gay man killed by Stephen Port in Four Lives, and as Karen Matthews’ friend Julie Bushby in the BBC drama The Moorside.
But Sheridan is not the only famous face to be starring in the much-anticipated drama. She is joined by Enzo Cilenti as DS Mark Braithwaite. He previously starred in Jekyll & Hyde for ITV alongside Hollywood star Richard E. Grant and Strictly Come Dancing’s Natalie Gumede. He also had a main role as Aubrey Hackett in The Last Tycoon opposite Lily Collins, Matt Bomer and Kelsey Grammar and can also be seen alongside Olivia Colman and Dominic West in the 2019 BBC version of Les Miserables.
Esteemed actor Andrew Lancel makes an appearance as Guy Whitburn QC in I Fought The Law, but soap fans are likely to remember him as the villainous Frank Foster on Coronation Street. He appeared as the business associate of Underworld manager Carla Connor (Alison King), and subjected the factory boss to a horrific act of rape.
He was later found dead on the factory floor and it turned out that he had been murdered by his own mother Anne, who was played by Heartbeat favourite Gwen Taylor, after she discovered what he had done. Prior to his stint on the cobbles, he had appeared on Bad Girls and Queer as Folk and has also carved out an illustrious career in theatre having starred in tours of The Sound of Music and Cilla.
The cast is rounded out by Victoria Wyant, who plays the victim in question, as well as Rivals star as Rufus Jones. The actor recently starred as Paul Stratton in the hit Disney+ series and has also starred in The Casual Vacancy and appeared in the likes of Inside No. 9, Beyond Paradise and Black Ops over the years. Fans of Hollyoaks might also recognise Kent Riley, who played Zak Ramsey in the Channel 4 soap.
CBBC fans might also recognise Aimee Kelly, who plays Judith Morden in the drama series. The actress first found fame as a teenager when she played Maddy Smith in the hit supernatural series Wolfblood opposite Bobby Lockwood.
Since she quit the supernatural series more than a decade ago, she has appeared in episodes of Call The Midwife, Grantchester and Holby City. In 2024, she played Sasha in the psychological thriller Platform 7. Others set to appear in the programme, which finishes its run on September 8, are Jack James Riley, Bryony Corrigan, and Buddy Wignall-Ho.
Ann, unhappy with the Cleveland Constabulary’s investigation, took it upon herself to challenge senior officers in a bid to uncover the truth about her daughter Julie’s murder and bring the culprit to justice.
William Dunlop was twice put on trial for Julie’s murder, each time denying his guilt. On both occasions, the jury failed to reach a verdict, leading to his formal acquittal and release.
In 1999, while serving a seven-year sentence for violent offences, Dunlop confessed to a prison officer that he had murdered Julie. At the time, due to the double jeopardy rule, he could not be retried for the murder following his acquittal.
Ann, who also serves as a consultant on I Fought the Law, expressed her support for the ITV series and shared her delight that actress Sheridan would be portraying her, stating she was “overwhelmed”.
“I am very pleased that Hera Pictures will tell the story of my campaign to overturn the Double Jeopardy Law. 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.
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