Sheridan Smith once again proves why she’s one of Britain’s most compelling actors in I Fought the Law — a harrowing four-part true crime drama that tells the extraordinary story of Ann Ming’s decades-long battle for justice after the murder of her daughter.
Based on real events, the series recounts how Ann’s determination forced the UK government to change an 800-year-old law, ensuring her daughter’s killer could finally be held accountable. But while the legal triumph is astonishing, it’s Smith’s portrayal of the emotional toll that makes this drama unforgettable.
A Mother’s Relentless Fight for Justice
The series opens with the devastating disappearance of Julie Ming in 1989, a 22-year-old mother whose body was found by her own mother, Ann, hidden under the bath in her home three months later.
From there, the show focuses on Ann’s fight — not only against her grief, but also against police incompetence, a flawed justice system, and the heartbreak of two trials that failed to convict the man she knew had murdered her daughter, Billy Dunlop.
Dunlop’s brazen bragging in pubs about committing the crime — confident he couldn’t be tried again under the “double jeopardy” law — adds a chilling layer of injustice.
Sheridan Smith Elevates Every Frame
As Ann Ming, Sheridan Smith is magnetic. Ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances are her speciality, and here she turns a restrained script into something genuinely moving. Her performance captures Ann’s pain, fury, and resilience with devastating realism.
She is supported by a stellar cast: Daniel York Loh delivers quiet but powerful depth as Charlie Ming, Ann’s husband, whose struggle to cope nearly tears the marriage apart. And Jack James Ryan brings a disturbingly ordinary menace to Billy Dunlop, making his evil all the more believable.
Beyond the Courtroom Drama
Unlike many legal dramas, I Fought the Law wisely focuses less on courtroom technicalities and more on the personal cost of injustice. It shows the cracks in Ann and Charlie’s marriage, the ripple effects on their family, and the grinding toll of years spent fighting a system stacked against them.
There are familiar beats — the bureaucratic nightmares, the poignant questions from a child about “mummy,” the class snobbery Ann faces as a nurse challenging the establishment. But the series takes care to show empathy not just for Ann, but for Charlie too — the quieter partner who, like many of us, might have wanted only to retreat from unbearable pain.
A Legacy Written in Law
The ultimate victory — the overturning of the double jeopardy rule, a law unchanged since the Magna Carta — is historic. It not only led to Dunlop’s conviction but also paved the way for other families seeking justice. Yet, as the series reminds us, the triumph is bittersweet.
Julie will never return. The Mings’ lives were forever changed by one man’s violent choice, and no law can undo that loss. What I Fought the Law does so brilliantly is make us feel that loss, while also honoring the courage it took for Ann Ming to turn her grief into lasting change.
Final Verdict
I Fought the Law isn’t just a courtroom drama — it’s a raw, emotionally charged story of love, loss, and unbreakable determination. Elevated by Sheridan Smith’s breathtaking performance, it’s one of the most moving true crime dramas in years.
