A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story air date confirmed for real-life drama

Told across four episodes and adapted by Kelly Jones from Carol Ann Lee's biography A Fine Day for a Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story, the series will explore the events that led Ellis to fatally shoot her abusive boyfriend, racing driver David Blakely.

Set primarily in 1955, it depicts her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress in London prior to the incident, while also focusing on the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged at the age of 28 in Holloway Prison.

Joining Boynton in the cast for the series are Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Toby Jones, Doctor Who's Arthur Darvill, and Happy Valley's Mark Stanley, while there are also roles for Laurie Davidson (Mary & George), Joe Armstrong (Fool Me Once), Juliet Stevenson (Wolf), Toby Stephens (Lost in Space), and Amanda Drew (The Gold).

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Jones will star as Ruth’s solicitor John Bickford, who takes on her case and gradually realises the extent of abuse at the hands of David Blakely (Davidson), while Stanley plays Desmond Cussen, a long-time admirer and sometime lover who becomes caught up in Ruth’s toxic love triangle alongside Blakely.

Speaking when the series was first announced in 2023, Boynton said: "Ruth Ellis's 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."

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story begins on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Wednesday 5th March.

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