I Fought the Law: Sheridan Smith ITV Drama True Story

When a mother’s grief meets an 800-year-old legal loophole, the result is something that feels ripped from the headlines — and now, from a screen near you. Sheridan Smith’s latest ITV drama I Fought the Law dramatises Ann Ming’s 15-year campaign to overturn Britain’s double jeopardy law after her daughter Julie Hogg was murdered in 1989. The four-part series arrived on ITV in August 2025, and audiences have been watching through their fingers ever since.

Episodes: 4 ·
Starring: Sheridan Smith ·
Network: ITV ·
Based on: Ann Ming true story ·
Year: 2025

The key facts table below summarises the production and legal background of the ITV drama.

What is the real story behind I Fought the Law?

The series draws from one of Britain’s most consequential criminal cases in recent memory. Ann Ming’s daughter Julie Hogg was murdered on 16 January 1990 in Billingham, Cleveland — a killing that would eventually scrap an 800-year-old legal principle and earn Ann Ming an MBE. Sheridan Smith stars as Ann Ming in the ITV dramatisation, bringing to screen a mother’s two-decade fight for justice that legal experts called “unprecedented” (Good Housekeeping UK).

Julie Hogg murder

Julie Hogg was 22 years old when she vanished after a late shift at a local pizza parlour. Her body was discovered 80 days later, concealed behind a bath panel — a discovery made by her mother Ann Ming herself in January 1990 (Good Housekeeping UK). Billy Dunlop was identified as the perpetrator, but the case would stall in a way that haunts British legal history.

Ann Ming’s campaign

What followed was a 15-year campaign that saw Ann Ming lobby parliamentarians, write to Home Secretaries, and refuse to accept that a killer could walk free because of a law predating the Norman Conquest. She documented her fight in the 2008 book “For the Love of Julie” (Good Housekeeping UK). The double jeopardy principle — preventing anyone from being tried twice for the same offence — had existed since the 12th century.

How many episodes are there in I Fought the Law?

I Fought the Law is a four-part drama series that aired on ITV, with each episode covering a distinct phase of the real case. The series was written by Jamie Crichton and produced by Hera Pictures, with All3Media International handling global distribution (Wikipedia). Sheridan Smith joined the project in May 2024, describing her role as the most challenging of her career.

Episode breakdown

The four episodes trace the chronology from the 1989 murder through to the 2006 conviction that finally brought Billy Dunlop to justice. Each episode reportedly covers a different era: the initial investigation and discovery of Julie’s body, the failed trials, Ann Ming’s growing campaign, and finally the legal breakthrough that made a retrial possible.

Release schedule

The series premiered at 9pm on Sunday 31 August 2025 on ITV (The Independent). Filming took place in North East England to honour the location of the original case — a detail the production team emphasised when announcing the project (Timeout).

What happened to Julie Hogg from I Fought the Law?

Julie Hogg was a 22-year-old pizza delivery worker from Billingham, County Durham, who disappeared after finishing her late shift in January 1990. The circumstances of her death — and the extraordinary legal battle that followed — form the backbone of the ITV series.

The murder

Julie vanished after her shift at a pizza parlour. Her mother Ann Ming spent weeks searching before making the devastating discovery behind the bath panel in January 1990 (Good Housekeeping UK). Billy Dunlop was quickly identified as a suspect, but the case would prove far from straightforward.

Investigation details

Cleveland Constabulary’s handling of the initial investigation has been scrutinised in the years since, with critics pointing to procedural failures that complicated the later prosecution. The police investigation established Dunlop as the prime suspect, but evidence gathering fell short of what would be needed to secure a conviction at the time.

Did they catch the killer in I Fought the Law?

Yes — but only after an extraordinary legal detour. Billy Dunlop was eventually convicted in September 2006 and sentenced to life imprisonment (The Independent). The conviction came 17 years after Julie Hogg’s murder, and it only became possible because Ann Ming had succeeded in changing the law itself.

Double jeopardy issue

Dunlop had been tried twice in the 1990s but was acquitted both times when juries failed to reach verdicts — a consequence of the double jeopardy law that prevented a third prosecution for the same offence. In 1998, while serving time in prison for attacking another woman, Dunlop wrote letters admitting to Julie’s murder (The Independent). He could confess freely because the law protected him from retrial.

Final conviction

Ann Ming’s relentless campaigning led to a white paper presented by David Blunkett in 2002, and Parliament repealed the double jeopardy law in April 2005 (Good Housekeeping UK). Within a year, Dunlop was tried a third time, found guilty, and jailed for life. Ann Ming was awarded an MBE in 2007 for her role in changing the law (Good Housekeeping UK).

Where can I watch I Fought the Law?

The series is available on ITVX, ITV’s streaming platform, where all four episodes can be streamed on demand. For viewers in Scotland, the series is also accessible via STV Player, as STV holds the network licence for ITV programming north of the border.

UK streaming

ITVX offers the complete series without additional subscription beyond standard ITVX access. Episodes are typically available immediately after their broadcast on ITV, and the on-demand library means viewers can binge the full story at their own pace. The platform also provides behind-the-scenes content and cast interviews that complement the drama.

International options

Global distribution is handled by All3Media International (Wikipedia), which means international availability may vary by region. Viewers outside the UK should check their local streaming platforms or digital retailers for availability. At present, confirmed international streaming options remain limited, and the series has not yet appeared on major international platforms such as Netflix.