According to the BritBox synopsis, “The Lady charts the rise and fall of former royal dresser Jane Andrews, whose rags to riches fairy tale fell apart when she was convicted of murder. Once a young working-class girl, Jane answered an advertisement in a magazine and to the astonishment of her friends and family, became the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace. Moving amongst the highest social circles in Britain, Jane managed to secure a place in the upper-classes, only to lose her job with the Duchess after nine years of service. Still reeling from her fall from grace, Jane went on to meet charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell deeply in love. Soon cracks began to develop in the romance Jane had pinned all her hopes on, with disastrous consequences.”
The four-part series also stars Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan, and Sean Teale. Lee Haven Jones (The Feast) will direct the four-part series, which is written and executive produced by Debbie O’Malley (Payback, Humans, Harlots). When the series was commissioned in 2024, O’Malley said that the show will examine “female ambition and human frailty and a devastating chain of events that ended in the taking of a man’s life,” adding that the story is “tied up with our national preoccupation with class, and our ongoing obsession with the royal family,” per the Telegraph.
Andrews was convicted of murdering her boyfriend Cressman by beating him with a cricket bat and stabbing him with a kitchen knife at their West London home in 2000. She was released from prison in 2015. Though it’s described as a “partly fictionalized drama,” some of those involved have already expressed their apprehension. Andrews’ former friend Basia Briggs told The Telegraph that “it’s horrible,” adding, “It’s a huge impertinence to depict people who are still living. I’m terrified of them getting things wrong.” The Lady is set to air on BritBox in the US and Canada, and ITV1 and STV (streaming on ITVX and STV Player) in the UK.
