“She thought I was her”: Sheridan Smith shares “mistaken identity” moment on her ITV drama I Fought the Law

Most of us will be familiar with Sheridan Smith’s knack for making her characters so believable you forget you’re watching TV. But in an exclusive interview with Good Housekeeping, the Gavin & Stacey star revealed that her latest role as real-life double jeopardy campaigner, Ann Ming, in ITV’s I Fought the Law fooled even Ann herself!

The four-part drama sees Sheridan step into the shoes of Ann, who campaigned tirelessly to overturn the double jeopardy law and ensure that her daughter Julie's murderer was convicted. Sheridan’s portrayal of Ann is spot-on and even Ann got confused when she saw a photo of Sheridan playing her in a scene at the cemetery.

“I heard about that from the producers,” says Sheridan. “Ann told Kevin that she didn’t recall having that picture taken. It was brilliant for me because she thought I was her, which is what we want.”

Ann, who battled for 15 years to overturn the double jeopardy law, shared how she first met Sheridan last July, before filming on the series began, because “she wanted to get my mannerisms and accent right.” At first, Ann revealed, she was worried that Sheridan would be “a bit la-di-da”, but she was surprised by how ordinary she was.

“We spent the whole evening with her, and what you see is what you get,” says Ann. “And, of course, she’s a northerner, which made it easier. She’s very conscious of the fact that she didn’t go to drama school, but I told her she’s got this ability to take on a role and become that person - and not every actor’s got that.”

Talking about the mistaken identity moment, Ann shared how the resemblance between herself and Sheridan in character was uncanny. “I saw a photo of Sheridan in a scene in the cemetery, and I said to Kevin that I didn’t remember having that picture taken,” she says. “He said, ‘It’s not you, it’s Sheridan!’ The way she held herself was uncanny. Even her accent is very similar to mine. I’m really pleased.”

Ann explained that she’s seen all four episodes of I Fought the Law and is “very pleased” with how it turned out, but also how it was an emotionally difficult experience for her. “It wasn’t easy to relive Julie’s murder, the ineptitude of the police and the subsequent court cases,” she says. “But I’d already worked on For the Love of Julie [Ann’s book] with a ghostwriter and taken part in a few TV documentaries such as [the 2019 BBC series] Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us.”

As for Sheridan’s thoughts on Ann, she shared how privileged she feels to be playing such an incredible woman who has achieved so much. “I instantly loved her. She’s salt of the earth,” Sheridan says. “Tough, yet vulnerable. She’s been through unthinkable things. But I was nervous because she’s such a strong lady.

“She’s a little firecracker of a woman who took on the establishment and won,” she added. “She’s my hero.”

I Fought the Law airs on ITV1 and STV and streams on ITVX and STV Player this autumn, followed by a documentary about Ann Ming’s historic campaign.

Read the full interview in Good Housekeeping’s September issue, on sale now.