shaking

Gavin and Stacey star Sheridan Smith brings Ann Ming’s relentless fight for justice to screens in I Fought The Law. The actress explains why the series was particularly daunting.

Sheridan Smith portrays Ann Ming, charting her extraordinary fight for justice in ITV‘s newest drama I Fought The Law – but the role was nothing short of daunting.

“It’s what Ann came up against,” Sheridan Smith says, “It was one thing after another. It was relentless. I don’t know the strength it took for Ann to keep fighting. I’m absolutely in awe of her.”

Julie Hogg was 22 years old when she vanished from her Billingham home in November 1989, leaving behind her toddler son Kevin. Her mother, Ann, immediately knew something was wrong.

“I was convinced something had happened to my daughter from day one,” Ann says. But police believed otherwise. “They thought she could have gone to London to start a new life,” Ann says, “It really was frustrating.”

Three months later, Ann’s maternal instincts were tragically vindicated. She discovered Julie’s body herself, hidden under the bath at her home.

The investigation soon identified a suspect: William “Billy” Dunlop. He stood trial for Julie’s murder twice, but juries failed to convict on both occasions.

Then, while serving a prison sentence for unrelated violent offences, Dunlop confessed to Julie’s killing. But there was a twist: under the centuries-old double jeopardy rule, he couldn’t be tried again for the same crime.

But for Ann, giving up wasn’t an option. She petitioned politicians for more than a decade, lobbied the media and refused to let Julie’s case fade from memory with unwavering support of her husband Charlie, played by Daniel York Loh in the crime drama.

This relentless fight – both devastatingly personal and profoundly public – is the backbone of I Fought The Law. For Sheridan Smith, stepping into Ann’s shoes was a privilege and an emotional burden.

“I can only imagine and think if it was my child, but it was emotionally taxing,” she says. “It was just nine weeks and by the end of it, I was a shaking mess.”

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The actress fully immersed herself in Ann’s world, devouring documentaries about the case and Ann’s book. Sheridan says: “I get mad at myself if I don’t feel the actual pain and trauma. I wanted to make Ann proud and get her story justice.”

Ann was also present as a consultant on the set, while filming took place in North East England. “She was a huge support and very crucial to the production the whole way through,” series director Erik Richter Strand says. “Sheridan is in every scene. She doesn’t get many breaks. We had to make that set safe, practical and comfortable for Sheridan.”

The transformation was physical as well as emotional. Sheridan swapped her trademark brunette for Ann’s blonde locks. But she dreaded one scene above all: the bathroom scene, where Ann finds Julie’s body. “I knew I had that coming, I wanted to get that scene out, it was a bit scary,” she says. “I knew it’d be torturous.”

Sheridan’s own experience as a mother – she shares her five-year-old son Billy with former partner Jamie Horn – gave the role an added resonance.

“It was my first role as a mum,” she says. “It’s your worst fear, isn’t it? No one should have to go through that. I was emotionally attached to the whole thing.”

There was another, more personal note to Sheridan’s role. “When I did Mrs Biggs, I tried to think of my mum who lost her son, my brother,” she says.

“This time, there was a different layer. Just thinking how I would have felt in that moment, if it was my little one. This was much more powerful, that’s probably why it was a bit difficult.”

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The earthquake, which was centred on the Turkish resort town of Marmaris, has left one person dead and at least 69 injured

Holidaymakers have recounted terrifying moments as their hotels shook during a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck western Turkey and the neighbouring Greek islands in the early hours of Tuesday.

The quake, which was centred on the Turkish resort of Marmaris when it struck at 2.17am, has resulted in one fatality and at least 69 people injured. The tremor also spread across areas such as the Greek island of Rhodes, abruptly rousing many from their sleep.

Belfast dad Matthew McCormick, on a family getaway in Rhodes, was startled awake by an ominous rumbling sound.

“We got to bed and had just fallen over to sleep and the next thing there was just this loud, rumbling noise,” the 35 year old told the PA news agency. “And then the next minute, the whole hotel was just shaking.”

Completely taken aback, his immediate thoughts turned to protecting his young daughter: “It was very surreal, it woke me and my wife up and my first concern was for the four-year-old beside us. She woke up and she started to cry.

“She was terrified – I think for us at that point, it was just trying to make sure she was OK. I tried to have a look at the roof, and it didn’t look like there were any cracks or anything appearing in the roof. I figured that we were safe enough.”

Mr McCormick, who is returning to Belfast on Tuesday, initially feared a bombing, but soon realised they were experiencing a natural disaster.

“My gut feeling was either there’s been bombs landing somewhere or it’s an earthquake,” he said. “Given some of the current global politics there was a slight fear that something had kicked off here overnight.”

Despite the nocturnal disturbance, Mr McCormick observed no evidence of destruction and tranquil seas by Tuesday afternoon.

Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya stated on X that a teenage girl was rushed to the hospital and died after what he described as an anxiety attack.

It remained unclear if she suffered from any pre-existing conditions. At least 69 people received medical attention for injuries caused by leaping out of windows or from balconies in a state of alarm, according to him, but no structural damage was reported.

Salem Swan, a 25-year-old Sunderland-based carer vacationing in Bodrum, Turkey, experienced her hotel sway with the quake as well.

“The earthquake wasn’t that strong where we are in Bodrum, we are about 164km from Marmaris where the earthquake hit,” she told PA. “There was some shaking around 2.15am for us, but it only lasted for maybe 30 seconds to a minute here so it was over quite quickly.

“None of the buildings here were affected as far as I know but we have had a leak in our accommodation bathroom which we are under the impression the earthquake potentially had caused.”

Turkey is perched atop significant fault lines, making earthquakes a common occurrence. In 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake claimed over 53,000 lives in Turkey, leaving hundreds of thousands of buildings in ruins across 11 southern and southeastern provinces.

An additional 6,000 individuals lost their lives in the northern regions of neighbouring Syria. Currently, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not issued any travel advisories against visiting western Turkey or the Greek islands.