British telly’s newest water-cooler series, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story is a true-crime drama that explores the life – and death – of one of Britain’s most infamous murderers.
In 1955, Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in the UK. The ITV series will show the build-up to the murder, from her troubled childhood to her fateful relationship with an abusive lover, and chart the weeks between her arrest and execution.
Someone will want to talk to you about it as work, so tune in and arm yourself with all the facts. Here’s what you need to know about the plot, filming locations and cast.
What is A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story about?
The true-crime series tells the story of Ruth Ellis, who became the last woman to be executed in the UK in 1955, at the age of just 28, after murdering her abusive lover.
The story is told over two parallel timelines and reveals facts about the case that have remained secret for decades. One strand follows the moment from Ellis’ arrest through to execution, while the other charts her life from childhood, living through World War II and working in London’s nightclubs.
Born in 1926, Ellis moved to London in 1941 and became pregnant after falling in love with a married Canadian soldier who later abandoned her and their child.
To stay afloat, she started working in London’s nightclubs as a hostess and eventually worked up the ladder to become manager of the Little Club in Knightsbridge. It was here that Ellis met racing car driver David Blakely, and the pair soon fell in love.
But the fairy-tale romance didn’t last long, with their relationship turning abusive and Ruth having a miscarriage in January 1955 after Blakely punched her in the stomach.
On April 10, 1955, Ellis tracked Blakely down to a local pub and when he left the venue, she took out a revolver and fired shots at him. She was arrested on the scene and put up no argument in the ensuing trial, telling the jury: ‘It’s obvious when I shot him I intended to kill him.’ It took just 20 minutes for the jury to convict her and for the death sentence to be delivered.
Ellis was executed just after 9am on July 13, 1955 at Holloway Prison. As customary in British executions, she was buried in an unmarked grave within the walls of Holloway Prison. In the 1970s, the remains of executed women were exhumed for reburial elsewhere. Ellis reburied in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
Where was A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story filmed?
The drama commenced filming across the UK in September 2023 at the Troubadour Meridian Water studios in North London. Other scenes took place across the UK into October 2023.
The Magdala Tavern, Hampstead
The same North London pub where Ruth Ellis murdered David Blakely was closed for three days in October 2023 and used as the setting for the fateful shooting.
As Blakely left the pub, Ellis fired six shots at him. Four bullets hit the mark and two left holes that are still visible on the wall outside the pub 70 years later – although it’s rumoured that the pub’s landlady in the 1990s faked these, using a drill to help turn the pub into a tourist hotspot.
Before heading to the pub, Blakely had been with friends on Tanza Road in Belsize Park. Production filmed those scenes in a house on the same road.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
The Historic Dockyard Chatham doubles for the entrance to Holloway Prison in the series.
One of Kent’s most popular filming locations, it spans over 80 acres, with more than a hundred buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. The Crown and Call the Midwife have both filmed there in recent years.
The dockyard is open to visitors from February to November, with a tour of Call the Midwife locations running between March and October.
Hampstead Magistrates Court, London
Ruth Ellis made her first appearance at the Magistrates Court the day after her arrest. The court is now being used as artists’ studio space pending development, so the production was able to use the actual magistrates court and dock that Ruth stood in.
The Old Bailey, London
The dramatic courtroom scenes were filmed across several locations, with London’s Old Bailey being the most famous and the same place where Ruth Ellis faced a jury and was sentenced to death.
The actual austere corridors and stairways of the Old Bailey were used for scenes showing Ruth’s legal team (played by Toby Jones and Toby Stephens) entering court and discussing the case.
The Old Bailey’s interiors were recreated at University College School in North London.
Dorchester Prison, Dorset
Filming took place at Dorchester Prison in October 2023, with the location doubling up as Holloway Prison, the North London jail where Ruth Ellis was held.
The prison was closed in 2013 and is now open to visitors for guided tours led by a former prison officer, or for the more adventurous, seance nights, ghost-hunting sessions and adults-only ‘hide & seek’ sessions in the prison cells.
How many episodes are in the Ruth Ellis story?
The drama kicks off on ITV at 9pm on Wednesday, March 5, with further episodes airing at the same time over the following three weeks. The finale is expected to air on Wednesday, March 26.
All four episodes are available to stream on ITVX now.
US audiences can binge the series on BritBox now.
Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of the drama.
Who is in the cast of A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story?
Lucy Boynton is Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK. Boynton has starred in Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and Agatha Christie TV adaptation, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Toby Jones is Ruth’s solicitor John Bickford. The actor has starred in some of the biggest blockbuster franchises, from Jurassic World to The Hunger Games and Indiana Jones. He was lauded for his incredible turn in groundbreaking drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Laurie Davidson is David Blakely, Ruth’s abusive lover and ultimately, murder victim. His previous credits include The Sandman, Mary & George, and Masters of the Air.
Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones) is Desmond Cussen, Ruth’s devoted admirer and sometime lover.
Nigel Havers is Justice Havers, playing his real-life grandfather, the judge who sentenced Ruth Ellis to death. The British acting legend has worked across film, stage and TV with credits including Coronation Street, Downton Abbey and Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Toby Stephens plays Ruth’s defence barrister, Melford Stevenson QC. The actor recently appeared as the Greek god Poseidon in the Disney+ series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who) is Victor Mischon, Ruth’s charismatic divorce lawyer who took up the fight for her reprieve. Joe Armstrong (Gentleman Jack) is DCI Leslie Davis, the detective in charge of Ruth’s case, and the great Juliet Stevenson plays Dr Charity Taylor, the governor of Holloway Prison.
Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) is Carole Findlater, a friend of Blakely’s who holds a strong dislike towards Ruth.
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