A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis story.

[RosaMoline]

I am really looking forward to this. This particular case (and miscarriage of justice IMO) has long since been a personal obsession of mine.
If Ruth had committed this crime in recent times, she wouldn’t even have had a custodial sentence (thankfully CP long abolished) - David Blakely was extremely mentally, verbally and physically abusive towards Ruth. He apparently caused her to miscarry just weeks before the incident. So it’s beyond question the balance of her mind was affected.
In the few post production photos I’ve seen, it looks gorgeous & I am sure Lucy Boynton will do Ruth justice. Perfect casting.
No date yet, but I was hoping it might be in the Easter TV schedules? Especially as Ruth shot David on Easter Sunday, so the the timing would be very apt:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28496144/

Bump!

Thanks for the heads up. I loved Dance with a Stranger. Tragic story, she should never have been hung.

Did this get shown @RosaMoline ?

It hasn’t been on and there is no release date yet

Place marking as I'd like to watch this. Thanks for posting.

Dance With A Stranger was a haunting film.This new version will have to go some to be as good. Miranda Richardson was superb as Ruth - cheap glamour and platinum blonde hair, tough yet vulnerable,.foolish about David, infuriating in her lack of. concern for her son. I wonder what became of him.

Sadly, her son Andy committed suicide in 1982. Her daughter died aged 50 from cancer.

I agree that ‘Dance…’ was an excellent film, as were the leads. However, my only criticism round be that it felt ‘rushed’ at the end. This new series is based on the on the brilliant book by Carol Ann Lee (which is the definitive book IMO…nothing compares) and is in 4 parts, so I imagine it will be pretty in depth.

I'm also looking forward to this, but Lucy Boynton has very big shoes to fill! I loved the film (how strange it's not streaming - I may have to dig out my DVD), and agree with the OP it was a bit rushed at the end, so hopefully Ruth's story will be well developed in this four part series.

I used to work near where she is buried. After a lot of detective work I found her gravestone in my lunch hour-it had been smashed as far as I remember-by her son who was traumatised.

I'm not so sure she wouldn't have been convicted.today.There was premeditation and she fired multiple shots. And she admitted she intended to kill him. The awful background would be mitigation in sentencing now. The issue with the case was the sentence not the conviction.

Indeed. I’ve always said that today, extenuating circumstances would be taken into account. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a defence in 1955.
Look at the facts: Blakely was extremely abusive towards Ruth…beat her black and blue many occasions, thumped her in the stomach & caused her to miscarry literally weeks before the incident (this today would be a defence on it’s own. Pregnancy hormones could’ve caused the balance of her mind to be affected)
Today, she would’ve had a manslaughter charge & wouldn’t even have had a custodial sentence - referred for psychiatric treatment I would’ve thought.
Sadly, class and prejudice were evident in this trial and sentencing…after all, Ruth was from working class origins, a nightclub hostess & a part time sex worker..
Another case from the so called ‘good old days’ resulted in an innocent woman being hanged - see Edith Thompson. Prejudice played a huge part in that trial too. Myself and a few others are still hoping for a posthumous pardon for Edie. For further reading, please see the website ‘edithjessiethompson’
Back to Ruth, I’ve always believed ‘the other man/love interest’ Desmond Cussen certainly played a part. Allegedly, he taught Ruth to fire the gun according to her son, Andy, and may have even driven her to Hampstead, to the Magdala Pub on the night. It is rumoured Ruth protected him and refused to implicate him.

I wouldn't trust modern justice to be any more sympathetic to Ruth.

She might end up banged up with a male abuser and living a nightmare.

The forensic evidence showed she fired serval shots without any real aim - and had no care for any bystanders.

We'd all be singing a different story if an innocent person had been killed.

By the law of the day she was guilty. Once that was established, the sentence was inevitable. It's possible it wasn't commuted because "we can't have women going around killing men" as my DM always maintained. However it's a poor case for abolition of capital punishment. Unless your angle is we shouldn't hang women.

Pierrepoints book has some interesting views.

Still waiting on an air date. Even tried emailing ITVX to no avail ☹️
Hopefully a trailer at least will be up soon?
In the meantime, Gillian Pachter’s excellent 3 part documentary, ‘Ruth Ellis: A very British crime story’ is available again on bbc iplayer. Definitely worth a watch.
I will never stop my fascination/obsession with this case. It would be wonderful if Ruth was granted a posthumous pardon.
I realise that it’s been argued that she did receive a fair trial by the standards of the day, but I don’t agree with that at all.

I don’t think we’ll see it until at least November. This six parter starts in September - uk.news.yahoo.com/sophie-turners-itv-drama-drops-094000711.html and I know there’s new ITV shows starring James Norton and Sheridan Smith that are waiting to be broadcast.

I wonder if it’s been delayed because it’s not been highlighted in this article:

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/aug/24/rivals-to-slow-horses-gavin-and-stacey-the-must-see-tv-for-autumn-2024

Maybe it’ll be on at Christmas…although the 70th anniversary of the crime/execution is next year, but that seems a long time after production’s wrapped.

I don't know if this is the program but I've just seen the episode three of three is on BBC4 at 9-10pm tonight. Called The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story.

That’s the documentary that was originally aired in 2018 on BBC.
This is a new dramatic retelling of the case.

My mum petitioned for her to be saved. The family of the boyfriend lived nearby and everyone knew what an absolute bastard he was to Ruth. Providing a women with a gun who is in such a fragile state was a crime in itself.

Thanks, looking forward to this.

Still no news on when this is going to air. I'm hoping it will be over Christmas.

Me too. I check every few days to see if there’s an update. I think it will be Christmas too.
My daughter & I are visiting Highgate and Hampstead in a few weeks. We will have lunch at The Magdala and raise a glass to Ruth.
In the meantime, may I recommend another excellent book?
’A Woman Condemned’
The story of Anna Antonio, an Italian American housewife who was accused of organising a hit on her abusive husband and went to the electric chair. Yet another miscarriage of justice.

Updated cast list. This is definitely going to be a quality tv show:

www.imdb.com/title/tt28496144/fullcredits