37 must-see British crime shows coming soon (April 2026)

Ruth Ellis is not a spoiler (Lucy Boyton), the star of a new four-part crime drama cruel lovewas hanged on July 13, 1955. Ruth was a real woman who committed a very real crime: she shot and killed her lover David Blakely (Laurie Davidson), on Easter in the year of her death. But what causes a nightclub hostess to commit such horrific acts?

This is the problem behind cruel loveis a brilliant true crime drama from BritBox that explores the motives behind Ruth’s murder of David, the subsequent trial that dominated tabloid media and the circumstances of her execution, which remains the last time a woman was executed for a crime in the UK.

The story has been told before, most notably in the 1985 film dance with strangersbut never as engaging and detailed as here. As Ellis, Boynton is perfect playing a woman with few choices in life. The play convincingly evokes an era when scandal could destroy reputations and crimes of passion could captivate a still-innocent public.