Nigel Havers Thrilled to Portray Grandfather in New ITV Drama

Nigel Havers, 74, stars in a four-part ITV drama about Ruth Ellis. He portrays Justice Cecil Havers, his real-life grandfather.

Nigel Havers Thrilled to Portray Grandfather in New ITV Drama, he told Good Morning Britain. He said the courtroom scenes carried a heavy, palpable tension on set.

Role and family connection

Havers plays the judge who oversaw the high-profile 1950s murder trial. The part links him directly to family history.

He learned about the case from his grandfather. Cecil Havers had written to the Home Secretary asking to halt the execution. That appeal was ignored.

The case and its context

The drama examines the final months of Ruth Ellis. She was the last woman executed in Britain after the 1955 killing of David Blakely.

The series revisits questions about provocation and capital punishment. The production explores whether the legal outcome was just.

Havers’s reaction

He said the story left him deeply affected. He described the trial as rushed and the outcome as unfortunate.

Havers argued that today Ellis likely would not be convicted of murder. He also reflected on the strain felt by judges and juries in cases carrying the death penalty.

Family campaign for a pardon

Laura Enston, Ellis’s granddaughter, joined Havers on Good Morning Britain. She leads a campaign for a posthumous pardon along with her siblings.

Enston said a pardon would provide formal recognition that Ellis should not have been executed. She added the family has long lived under the shadow of the case.

Availability and legacy

The four-part drama is available to watch on ITVX. The series encourages renewed debate about mid-century justice and capital punishment.

Havers is best known for roles such as in Chariots Of Fire. His participation adds a personal dimension to the retelling.