The Crown producer to tell story of aide found guilty of murder
The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures is lining up its next royal drama with a four-part series for ITV telling the story of former royal aide and convicted murderer Jane Andrews.
Titled The Lady, the drama is based on true events and is written by Humans and Harlots writer Debbie O’Malley.
As a young working-class girl from Grimsby, Andrews answered an advertisement in a magazine to become the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace.
Having secured her place in the upper classes she lost her job after nine years of service.
She also met charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell in love. But cracks began to develop in their romance and the drama charts the disastrous consequences.
Writer Debbie O’Malley said: “When Jane Andrews was tried for the murder of Thomas Cressman in 2001, it made headlines around the world.
”But behind those headlines, lay a much more complex, painful and thought-provoking story – an exploration of female ambition and human frailty and a devastating chain of events that ended in the taking of a man’s life.”
She added that the story “tied up with our national preoccupation with class and our ongoing obsession with the Royal family, feels every bit as relevant now as it did twenty years ago”.
The series was ordered by director of drama Polly Hill and senior drama commissioner Helen Ziegler with BritBox International as co-commissioners and production partners. Ziegler will oversee production on behalf of ITV and ITVX.
Florence Haddon-Cave will produce the series while the executive producers for Left Bank Pictures are creative director Sian McWilliams, chief executive Andy Harries and Rebecca Hodgson.
“Bold and complex storytelling is at the heart of what we do at Left Bank Pictures,” said McWilliams. “Debbie’s beautifully nuanced scripts deftly explore the tragic series of events that led to the murder of Thomas Cressman and pose the question – who is the real Jane Andrews?”
Set in Grimsby and London, The Lady will commence filming at the start of next year. Sony Pictures Television will distribute The Lady internationally.
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