Jane Andrews Now: The Lady drama divides critics and prompts a tearful response from the victim’s brother
The new four-part drama The Lady, which premiered on Sunday night, retells the life and conviction-for-murder of Jane Andrews — a story that has sustained public attention for more than two decades. jane andrews now matters in part because the series has prompted both critical debate over its tone and an emotional response from Rick Cressman, whose brother Tom was killed in 2000.
Casting and creative team behind The Lady
The Lady is produced by Left Bank Pictures and written by Debbie O’Malley. The drama casts Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews; one review headline praises that Mia McKenna-Bruce "excels" in the Jane Andrews drama. The series is presented as a four-part miniseries.
How the drama stages Andrews and Ferguson early on
Sixteen minutes into the first episode, Sarah Ferguson, played by Natalie Dormer, bursts into a job interview at Buckingham Palace where a 21-year-old Jane Andrews, played by Mia McKenna-Bruce, is being interviewed. In that scene Ferguson wears a polka-dot frock and asks, "Have you come far, Jane Andrews?", then quips about the north as "too grim ’oop north, hah hah. " The series shows Andrews as a former M&S employee from Grimsby who served as a dresser to the then-Duchess of York from 1988 to 1997 and depicts her attempting to bury Lincolnshire vowels and myriad mental health issues as she pursues a new life in London.
Violent crime, investigation and legal outcome
The drama threads a police inquiry through its narrative: the murder of Thomas Cressman (also referred to as Tom Cressman) in September 2000. The context establishes that Tom was attacked with a cricket bat and fatally stabbed by his partner Jane Andrews while he slept at their London home in 2000. DCI Jim Dickie, played by Philip Glenister, appears at the crime scene, with the camera lingering on the victim’s bloodied feet while he mutters "textbook domestic, innit?" The series follows the rise, fall and eventual conviction-for-murder of Jane Andrews; the context notes that the then-34-year-old denied murdering Tom because he would not marry her but was ordered to serve at least 15 years in prison in 2001 after her conviction.
Family reaction: tears, private screening and long-running concern
Rick Cressman, brother of Tom Cressman, said the drama brought him to tears more than 25 years after the killing, adding that by the time he reached the final episode he was "very, very tearful. " Rick said producers gave him a private screening and that he has cooperated with the media over the years out of a sense of duty to his brother; protecting his brother’s memory and legacy has become increasingly important to him. He said he could not have his brother’s memory "besmirched by people just creating stuff" and that the announcement in December of 2024 that a four-part fictionalised drama would be made was always the biggest issue for him. Rick also noted that other productions are underway, saying ABC News and Disney Plus are doing another project that would be the 12th TV production about the case.
Fictionalisation, tone and critical split
The Lady opens with an on-screen disclaimer that reads, "This drama has been inspired by a true story, " and adds that "Some names have been changed, " and "some characters, events and scenes have been created and merged for dramatic purposes. " That fictionalisation has fed sharp critical reaction: one reviewer called the series a "maddening" concoction and said its take on Sarah Ferguson "utterly fails to read the room, " characterising the drama as a gaudy mess that slips between royal soap, police procedural, coming-of-age period piece and domestic drama. At the same time, another review headline singles out the lead performance, saying Mia McKenna-Bruce excels in the role of Jane Andrews. The juxtaposition of bright set pieces — shopping montages, champagne receptions and the use of Depeche Mode’s "Just Can’t Get Enough" — with the recreated police work and the brutal facts of the 2000 killing underpins the divided response.
Unclear details and remaining questions
The context notes that Andrews has ties to Cleethorpes, north-east Lincolnshire, and that she was employed by Sarah Ferguson for nine years; the material says one figure was "later involved in police efforts to track Andrews down, " but it is unclear in the provided context who that refers to. The drama’s blend of invented scenes and real events, its depiction of Andrews’ mental health and the very specific details of the Cressman killing ensure that jane andrews now remains a contested subject both on screen and for the family at the centre of the story.
