ITV has commissioned a drama based on the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman in Britain to hang.
Ruth is a four-part ITVX series that will recount Ruth Ellis' story over two parallel timelines and will "reveal secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades", per the press release.
Set in 1955 — the year Ruth Ellis was hanged — the series will examine her life in the glamour of high society, her relationship with David Blakely, and Ruth's subsequent arrest and the trial that led to her death in Holloway Prison.
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? star Lucy Boynton has signed on to play the title role. Of the show, Boynton said: "Ruth Ellis’ story is a fascinating one. Both she and this complex case have always evoked a strong reaction, and with Kelly’s insightful scripts I’m looking forward to bringing a new perspective to both familiar audiences as well as those who are unaware of her mark on British history.”
In addition to the Agatha Christie adaptation, Lucy Boynton has also featured in Bohemian Rhapsody, The Pale Blue Eye, The Ipcress File, Modern Love, Murder on the Orient Express and The Politician.
Ruth is based on A Fine Day for a Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story, the acclaimed biography by non-fiction writer, Carol Ann Lee, and has been adapted by Kelly Jones.
The full summary for Ruth reads: "Told over two parallel timelines, Ruth reveals secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades, poses tantalising questions about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely, and sheds light on the life of one of Britain’s most infamous murderesses.
"The drama depicts Ruth’s entry into a dizzying upper-class London world that promises so much, but ultimately delivers treachery. We follow her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later gunned down in cold blood, her arrest, trial and the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged by infamous hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, in Holloway Prison, aged just 28.
"The powerful mystery of what compelled Ruth Ellis to take the life of the man she was in a passionate but toxic and volatile relationship with will reveal that there was more to this crime of passion than Ruth was prepared to say. Her silence, and resistance to speak of what happened between her and dashing racing driver, Blakely, is far more complex than she admitted. Ruth’s solicitor, the low-status but intelligent and sensitive John Bickford, starts to realise some of what she has suffered and believes they must make a case for provocation.
"With stakes that could not be higher, literally life or death, Bickford begins his own investigation and uncovers details that could have saved her life had those facts been aired in court."
A release date for the series has not been confirmed as of the time of writing. For more shows to stream in the meantime, check out our guide to the best ITV dramas you should be watching right now.
