Get the latest OK! breaking news on WhatsAppOur community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More infoJoin us on WhatsApp Actress Lucy Boynton has shared her emotional reaction to reading the real-life court transcripts for her new ITV drama. The 31-year-old star appeared on Thursday’s episode of The One Show, where she gave viewers a glimpse into her new series, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story. In this four-part historical drama, Lucy takes on the role of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, with Toby Jones playing her solicitor John Bickford. However, the tragic real-life story left Lucy feeling deeply affected, as she confessed to The One Show hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp that she struggled to “switch off”. Roman asked: “It’s really fascinating that in the court scenes, you’ve used the real transcripts on what was said. So you’re reading it out verbatim, what was that like?” To which Lucy responded: “Sickening. To sit there as a contemporary person and to witness the misogyny and classism at play that swayed that trial was profoundly affecting.”
Lucy Boynton chatting on The One Show
(Image: BBC)
She further explained: “And I mean the things like in 1955, the year of her trial, you couldn’t get a divorced processed in fewer than six months because it was seen as permanent. So it was really important to get that right.” On July 13, 1955, at exactly one minute past nine, 28-year-old Ruth Ellis was executed by hanging for the murder of her abusive boyfriend, David Blakely. Her execution was delayed for a minute when a fake caller telephoned Holloway Prison, pretending to be Home Secretary Gwilym Lloyd George, and claimed Ellis would receive a pardon.
Lucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis and Laurie Davidson as David Blakely
After it was revealed the call had been a prank, Ruth paid the ultimate price and was laid to rest in an unnamed spot at the prison, which was the norm back then. Discussing the part with Tatler, Lucy shared her insights: “It was infuriating because you feel so much more protective towards Ruth than she ever felt towards herself, everyone was scrabbling around to help her but she just didn’t think she deserved it,” reports the Mirror. She delved deeper into Ruth’s character, adding, “She has this stiff-upper-lip British sensibility, where you don’t cry about what is done to you, and she was incredibly pragmatic about cause and effect.” The One Show airs Mondays-Fridays at 7pm on BBC One.
