A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025)

EndedScripted showDrama, Crime, History

Told over two parallel timelines, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story reveals secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades, poses tantalising questions about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely, and sheds light on the life of one of Britain's most infamous murderesses.

The drama depicts Ruth's entry into a dizzying upper class London world that promises so much, but ultimately delivers treachery. We follow her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later gunned down in cold blood, her arrest, trial and the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged by infamous hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, in Holloway Prison, aged just 28.

Streaming

Watch Now

Network

Last Episode

Episode 4
Season 1Episode 446 min

Episode 4

The day before Ruth's execution, she finally agrees to tell her new lawyer, Victor Mishcon, the full story, the whole truth. Mishcon has twenty-four hours to save her life. We flashback to the weeks leading up to David's murder and now understand how his death came about. The story comes full circle and we see its tragic, compelling events with fresh eyes.

Mar 5, 2025

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E04Episode 4Mar 5, 2025
S01E03Episode 3Mar 5, 2025
S01E02Episode 2Mar 5, 2025
S01E01Episode 1Mar 5, 2025
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

Mark Stanley

Mark Stanley

plays Desmond Cussen
Toby Stephens

Toby Stephens

plays Melford Stevenson QC
Arthur Darvill

Arthur Darvill

plays Victor Mishcon
Paul Hilton

Paul Hilton

plays Christmas Humphreys QC
Joe Armstrong

Joe Armstrong

plays DCI Davies
Toby Jones

Toby Jones

plays John Bickford
Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Stevenson

plays Charity Taylor
Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

plays Judge Havers
View all cast

Characters

Desmond Cussen

Desmond Cussen

played by Mark Stanley
Melford Stevenson QC

Melford Stevenson QC

played by Toby Stephens
Victor Mishcon

Victor Mishcon

played by Arthur Darvill
Christmas Humphreys QC

Christmas Humphreys QC

played by Paul Hilton
DCI Davies

DCI Davies

played by Joe Armstrong
John Bickford

John Bickford

played by Toby Jones
Charity Taylor

Charity Taylor

played by Juliet Stevenson
Judge Havers

Judge Havers

played by Nigel Havers
View all characters

Also known as

  • Ruth

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Running

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver presents a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.

GenreComedy
Saturday Night Live
Running

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is an Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

GenreComedy, Music
Lioness
Running

Lioness

Lioness, inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, follows the life of Joe while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA's spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade and Donald Westfield, enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA's efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

GenreDrama, Thriller, Espionage
The Diplomat
Running

The Diplomat

In the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat lands in a high-profile job she's unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.

GenreDrama, Thriller
The Pitt
Running

The Pitt

The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today's America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each episode follows an hour of Dr. Robby's 15-hour shift as the chief attendant in Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital's emergency room.

GenreDrama, Medical
* This is an affiliate link. If you click and purchase, we will receive a commission from the provider. This will not incur any additional costs for you and you will support our project. We thank you for your support!