Sheridan Smith looks unrecognisable in a short greying wig as she embodies murder campaign mum Ann Ming on set of drama series I Fought The Law

By William On Aug 16, 2024

Sheridan Smith wore a short grey wig on Friday to play Ann Ming while filming upcoming drama series I Fought The Law in North Tyneside.

The 43-year-old Gavin And Stacey actress, who starred in the failed musical Opening Night, looked cheerful as her character greeted her neighbours.

Sheridan wore a dark purple quilted jacket and a black and white patterned shirt during filming in Shiremoor.

Her character Ann is a real woman who led to the repeal of the 800-year-old British double jeopardy law after the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg.

Julie was murdered by William ‘Billy’ Dunlop, but the jury failed to find him guilty twice.

Sheridan Smith, 43, wore a short grey wig on Friday to play Ann Ming while filming the upcoming true crime drama I Fought The Law in North Tyneside

The Gavin And Stacey actress, who starred in the ill-fated musical Opening Night, beamed as her character greeted her neighbours

Sheridan’s character Ann (right, in 2006) is a real woman who led to the repeal of Britain’s 800-year-old ‘double jeopardy’ law after the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg

This meant that even after Billy confessed, he could not appear in court again, as was the law at the time.

After nearly 17 years of campaigning with her husband Charles, who died in 2013, Ann got this law changed and Billy is currently serving a life sentence.

Julie, mother of three-year-old Kevin and wife of Andrew, was only 22 when she died.

Tragically, Ann found Julie’s body hidden in the bathroom of her terraced house in January 1990, 80 days after Billy had hidden it there.

This is despite the fact that forensic police conducted extensive searches of her home in the days following her disappearance, but did not find her body.

Her daughter’s killer had strangled and then sexually mutilated Julie, before hiding her body under the bathtub in her own home.

Ann, now in her late 70s, serves as an advisor during the production process of I Fought The Law.

Filming began on Monday in Hartlepool, County Durham, with Sheridan dressed as a nurse, Julia’s former profession.

Sheridan wore a dark purple quilted jacket and a black and white patterned shirt for the filming in Shiremoor

Julie was murdered by William ‘Billy’ Dunlop and hidden in her own bathroom, but the jurors could not find him guilty, either at trial or at the retrial.

Filming began on Monday in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Sheridan was dressed as a nurse, Julia’s former profession

Sheridan’s portrayal of Ann will undoubtedly be accurate, as the real Ann, now in her late 70s, has signed on as an advisor (right, Sheridan pictured in April)

On set on Friday, Sheridan laughed as her hair and makeup were touched up

She then sat there happily listening as her fellow players talked among themselves

What is double jeopardy?

The principle of double jeopardy means that you cannot be tried more than once for the same offence.

Its purpose was to protect innocent people from the tyranny of the judiciary, which could lead to them being arbitrarily convicted even after being found innocent by a jury.

In 2005, the Labour government repealed the law after a series of campaigns, convincing senior judges and legal experts that a more nuanced approach was needed to deal with complex cases.

One of these was a campaign by the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.

Five suspects were charged after an initial investigation, but not convicted.

In 1999, a public inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson concluded that the Metropolitan Police was institutionally racist.

As a result, he recommended dropping double jeopardy in murder cases where extraordinary evidence later comes to light.

The law went into effect in 2005 and has since allowed new trials in cases where “new, compelling, reliable and substantial evidence” comes to light.

Sheridan seems to be keeping very busy with her work, as alongside her new role at ITV she has reportedly ‘signed a deal’ to return for the very last episode of Gavin and Stacey.

The 42-year-old actress is said to be joining the iconic cast for the Christmas special, which will mark the finale of the beloved sitcom.

Earlier this month, sources told MailOnline that there had been “no discussions” about a return to the BBC sitcom, which co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones confirmed in May would air its final episode on Christmas Day.

Despite recent reports that Sheridan’s character Rudi Smith – James Smithy’s sister – would not be involved, sources say informal talks with the star have already taken place – according to The Mirror.

Sheridan appears to be keeping very busy with work as, alongside her new role at ITV, she has reportedly ‘signed a deal’ to return for the very last episode of Gavin & Stacey.