I Fought the Law review: Sheridan Smith justifies ubiquity in heart-rending true crime adaptation
The TV favourite once again delivers as a bereaved mum who while seeking justice for her murdered daughter ultimately changed the history of British law.
There's a well-worn social media joke which casts Sheridan Smith whenever a news story appears ripe for a prime-time dramatisation. After all, she’s previously taken on real-life figures in The C Word, The Moorside, Four Lives, Mrs Biggs and, of course, Cilla just to name a few. However, her latest portrayal in harrowing true crime drama I Fought the Law explains exactly why she’s become the go-to star.
It’s unlikely that ‘Grieving mother attempting to amend a British law that’s been in place since the Magna Carta’ has ever been suggested by the Twitterati as a future role. As ever, though, it’s one she commits to with aplomb. In fact, in a career packed full of awards-worthy performances, it might be her most impressive yet.
Smith plays Ann Ming, an NHS nurse whose life is shattered one morning in November 1989 when her 22-year-old daughter Julie (Victoria Wyant) goes missing in their North East hometown of Billingham. Frustrated by the slow response of the cops who seem convinced it’s a simple runaway case, she essentially becomes the leading detective, chasing up every potential lead over the course of 80 agonising days.
Almost unrecognisable in a wig that gets greyer the longer Ann is suffering, Smith convincingly runs the gamut of emotions throughout an ominous first episode which nestles in the pit of your stomach: the initial sheer panic that something is amiss, knowing her daughter would never leave her young son without warning; the gradual resignation she’s unlikely to ever come back; and in an utterly devastating closing scene, the unimaginable horror that comes with discovering her body. Her uncontrollable howls of pain will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
Unsurprisingly, Smith is equally compelling once the four-parter evolves into a quest for justice. “We want to know what you’re actually doing,” she chastises the police force, who’d handled the case so ineptly they were later forced to pay damages. “From here it looks like you’re sitting with your thumb up your arse.” Ann is just as no-nonsense at Julie’s funeral, promising mourners that “We’ll get the b*****d that killed her” in the first of many from-the-heart speeches that pack a punch.
I Fought the Law doesn’t waste any time in revealing the culprit. After all, this isn’t a murder-mystery, but an insight into the confounding machinations of British law and one woman’s determination to change it. Indeed, a builder’s labourer named William Dunlop (Jack James Ryan), reportedly known to the victim, is taken into custody soon after and subsequently charged with homicide.
Of course, getting a conviction proves to be a task more mountainous than anyone could possibly have imagined. Despite a whole host of incriminating evidence linking him to the crime – including a DNA match one officer claims will “110 per cent” prove his guilt – not just one but two juries fail to reach a majority verdict, resulting in a mistrial and, much to the Ming family’s disgust, complete acquittal, respectively.
But with two episodes still to go, this isn’t the end of the story. A confession made while serving time for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend both puts Dunlop and the law of double jeopardy back in the spotlight, the latter an 800-year-old rule which states that no individual can be tried for the same offence twice.
And it’s here where I Fought the Law truly starts living up to its title as Ann begins trying to overturn the historic protection. “As long as there’s breath in my lungs, I’m not going to stop fighting for my daughter,” she declares during a legal pursuit which includes a meeting with then-Home Secretary Jack Straw and a tense televised interview with solicitor Imran Khan.
Most courageously, she even addresses the House of Lords without any notes. “I may not be hoity-toity like you, but I know what I want to say,” comes the rebuttal after an official wrongly advises her this might not be the best approach.
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Taking Ann's own memoir For the Love of Julie as inspiration, writer Jamie Crichton ensures the drama doesn’t get too bogged down in the small print. There’s a welcome bit of light relief as Ann takes up line dancing to help take her mind off her ordeal, while a late ‘70s flashback, in which a racist neighbour brazenly petitions for her husband Charlie (Daniel York Loh) to “Go home,” provides a little more context to her family life.
Yet, the show is at its most awe-inspiring when, like ITV’s biggest hit of 2024 Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, it celebrates the strength of people power, (or in this case, person power). Ann might already have an MBE to her name, but I Fought the Law is the kind of public service broadcasting that should deservedly elevate her to the status of national hero. And Smith, who having drawn upon her own personal tragedies has described her depiction as “the hardest job I’ve ever done”, is undoubtedly pivotal to its impact.
“They couldn’t have picked anybody better,” the real Ann recently claimed about the woman tasked with embodying her remarkable character. “She is really the best actress.” Having delivered yet another tour-de-force turn in another vital must-watch, it’s hard to disagree.
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All four episodes of I Fought the Law are available to stream on ITVX from Sunday 31st August – check out our Drama hub for all the latest news. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
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