The story of Ruth Ellis is a tragic one. Aged 28, she became the last woman to be executed in Britain in 1955, for the crime of shooting her lover, David Blakely, dead in the street. Her case sparked controversy – so much so that it helped bring an end to the death penalty – and has now been made into an ITV series.
In it, Nigel Havers plays Judge Cecil Havers, who presided over the case when it went to trial. And the fact that they share a surname is no coincidence: Nigel is Cecil’s real-life grandson.
