MultiStory Media to produce I Fought the Law companion doc

MultiStory Media is to produce a companion doc to the upcoming ITV factual drama I Fought the Law, which has landed a raft of global presales.

The drama, produced by Hera Pictures (What It Feels Like For A Girl), will see Sheridan Smith portray Ann Ming, who fought to change the double jeopardy law and bring her daughter Julie’s murderer to justice after he was acquitted following two mistrials. It is set to debut in the UK on 31 August.

Smith will also narrate accompanying documentary, I Fought the Law: The Ann Ming Story, which will air after the drama, and take a detailed look at the case from Julie’s disappearance in 1989, until the murderer was retried and jailed for life in 2006. He became the first person convicted under the changed law.

The doc will feature exclusive interviews with Ming and her family and friends, as well as retired police officers and archive and images from throughout the campaign for justice. The doc will also reveal how Ming’s fight has since helped secure other landmark convictions, including those of Stephen Lawrence’s killers.

All3Media International is handling distribution of the accompanying documentary and has secured a digital soundtrack release deal for the original score composed by Luke Richards.

ITV Studios label MultiStory has this year undergone a reshuffle to exit the entertainment space and focus on factual programming, after establishing a docs unit in 2022. It is behind ITV doc Brianna: A Mother’s Story, examining the murder of trans teenager Brianna Ghey in 2023.

The film joins a list of companion docs to high-profile ITV true-crime dramas including this year’s The Real Unforgotten, Until I Kill You: The Real Story, The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Gameshow Killer and The Real Des: The Dennis Nilsen Story.

Pre-sales

The doc’s announcement comes as All3MI landed multiple pre-sales for I Fought the Law. In Europe, it has been acquired by Polar+ for France, Filmin for Portugal and Spain, EITB for Spain’s Basque region, NPO in the Netherlands, SVT in Sweden, Virgin Media in Ireland, VRT in Flemish Belgium and Hellenic Telecommunications in Greece. Dazzler Media has also signed DVD and DTO rights for the UK and Ireland.

Further afield, Stan has secured digital rights for Australia, as has Freedom Media in Kazakhstan. TV rights have been signed by TVNZ in New Zealand, Yes TV in Israel and Now TV for Hong Kong and Macau.

I Fought the Law is written by Jamie Crichton (All Creatures Great and Small) and is based on Ming’s book For The Love of Julie.

Supported by funding from the North East Production Fund, with Ming acting as a consultant, the executive producers for Hera Pictures are Liza Marshall and Charlotte Webber, the director is Erik Richter Strand (The Crown) and the producer is Mark Hedges (Time).

All3Media International’s executive vice president of content Maartje Horchner said: “I Fought the Law is a moving drama that will shock and inspire in equal measure, turning the spotlight on an extraordinarily courageous mother who, despite enduring an unthinkable tragedy and facing overwhelming challenges, succeeded in changing the law.”

Marshall added: “We are thrilled that, through All3Media, international audiences will now be able to witness how Ann transformed her grief into determination and drove such historic change.”