'A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story' Falls Short
The real-life story of Britain's Ruth Ellis is undeniably devastating and tragic. On Easter Sunday in 1955, she murdered her lover, racecar driver David Blakely, by shooting him in the back in the middle of the street. Less than three months later, Ellis, who was only 28 years old, was sentenced to death and subsequently sentenced to hang in Holloway prison. The jury only deliberated her fate for 20 minutes. She was the last woman to be executed in Britain.
Since Ellis' execution by the Crown, there have been books, plays, radio dramas, movies, and TV series about the infamous woman. BritBox enters the fray with the four-part series A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, with Lucy Boyton (Why Didn't They Ask Evans?) as the title character. Wanting to leave her troubled childhood behind, Ruth forged a new life for herself, changing her accent and becoming London’s youngest night club manager.
Popular and charming, she was the literal life of the party until she met race car driver Blakely (Laurie Davidson). A spoiled, cowardly, violent man, Blakely was physically and emotionally abusive. During the course of their two-year relationship, Ruth lost hearing in her ears, miscarried their baby, and was repeatedly covered in bruises.
