Jane Andrews Now: jane andrews now drama The Lady sparks tears and criticism
jane andrews now sits at the centre of a newly aired four-part television drama, and the series has reopened wounds for the family of the murdered man while drawing sharp critical scrutiny for its tone and choices. The Lady’s mix of glamour, police procedural and domestic tragedy matters because it retells the life and conviction of Jane Andrews and has prompted both private screenings and public complaint.
Jane Andrews Now: how The Lady frames a true‑story disclaimer and creative licence
The Lady begins with a written disclaimer that "This drama has been inspired by a true story, " followed by italicised lines that "Some names have been changed, " and "some characters, events and scenes have been created and merged for dramatic purposes. " The four-part ITV series is produced by Left Bank Pictures, the company behind The Crown, and is written by Debbie O’Malley, who worked on Channel 5’s reboot of All Creatures Great and Small. ITV has described The Lady as a "gripping true crime drama" about Andrews "whose rise and fall culminated in a brutal murder. " The series premiered on a Sunday night and was offered in a private screening to Rick Cressman before public transmission.
Natalie Dormer and Mia McKenna‑Bruce dramatise the royal household and a pivotal Buckingham Palace interview
Natalie Dormer plays Sarah Ferguson and Mia McKenna‑Bruce plays Jane Andrews. Sixteen minutes into the first episode Dormer’s Ferguson bursts into Andrews’ job interview at Buckingham Palace; the scene is staged with a polka‑dot frock and an exchange that includes the lines "Have you come far, Jane Andrews?" and a jibe about it being "too grim ’oop north, hah hah. " The drama depicts the younger Andrews as a 21‑year‑old who buries her Lincolnshire vowels and, the drama suggests, a myriad of mental health issues, bonding with Ferguson over chiffon bows and erratic love lives. Critical reaction has singled out Mia McKenna‑Bruce’s performance as a strong element of the production.
Tom Cressman’s family: tears, private screening and longstanding concern
Rick Cressman, whose brother Tom was murdered in London in 2000, said the new drama moved him to tears. "By the time we got into the final episode, I was feeling very, very tearful, " he said, more than 25 years after the killing. Rick said he had been concerned when he learned of a four‑part fictionalised drama announced in December of 2024, and that ITV had given him a private screening. He described the challenge of fictionalising "a genuine living story" while his family continues to cope with intrusions, and said he has cooperated with the media over the years out of a sense of duty to his brother. "I can't have my brother's memory and legacy being besmirched by people just creating stuff, " he added.
Details of the attack, the investigation and the conviction
The narrative thread of The Lady follows the police investigation into the September 2000 murder of Thomas Cressman, described in the drama as a former stockbroker and elsewhere as a businessman and business owner from Warwickshire. The text in context notes Tom was attacked with a cricket bat and fatally stabbed by his partner Jane Andrews while he slept at their London home in 2000. The series includes the arrival of DCI Jim Dickie, played by Philip Glenister, who harrumphs around the crime scene as the camera closes in on the victim’s bloodied feet and the line "textbook domestic, innit?" appears in the script. The context material also notes Andrews was from Cleethorpes, north‑east Lincolnshire, was a former M&S employee from Grimsby, and had served as a dresser to Sarah Ferguson from 1988 to 1997—employed by Ferguson for nine years. The material further states that "the then‑34‑year‑old had denied murdering Tom Cressman because he would not marry her but was ordered to serve at least 15 years in prison in 2001, after being convicted of the businessman's murder. " The drama shows scenes of Andrews seeking comfort from her mother, portrayed by Claire Skinner, and also references later involvement in police efforts to track Andrews down.
Production context and the broader media cycle
The depiction of Andrews and Ferguson in The Lady sits alongside multiple previous and planned productions about the case: Rick Cressman said additional projects are on the way, naming an effort involving ABC News and Disney Plus that he expects would make this the 12th TV production touching the story. The combination of high production pedigree—Left Bank Pictures and a writer with a noted television background—and the emotionally fraught subject matter explains why the dramatization has prompted private screenings, family protest and sharp critical attention.
