I Fought The Law has had viewers in tears and as Sheridan Smith’s triumphant return to the screen plays out, she is joined by a host of other familiar faces
14:03, 02 Sep 2025Updated 14:04, 02 Sep 2025
Sheridan Smith has had I Fought The Law viewers in tears in recent days(Image: ITV)
Julie Hogg, aged 22, was a mother to three-year-old son Kevin and wife to husband Andrew. She vanished after working a late shift at a local pizza parlour.
Heartbreakingly, Ann found Julie’s body hidden in the bathroom of her home in January 1990. 80 days earlier, the murderer had concealed Julie’s body behind the bath panel.
TV favourite Sheridan Smith has starred in a number of true crime dramas over the years (Image: ITV)
Jake Davies has appeared in Screw and Cyber Bully but now plays Matthew in I Fought The Law(Image: ITV)
During the show’s lengthy run throughout the 2000s, she also appeared on Fat Friends opposite Emmerdale star Lisa Riley as well as sunny sitcom Benidorm and BBC favourite Gavin & Stacey. She then turned to musical theatre, winning an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Elle Woods, the character made famous by Reese Witherspoon, in the West End production of Legally Blonde.
Further stage credits in Funny Girl and, more recently, Shirley Valentine and Opening Night followed.
But it’s gritty dramas that Sheridan has really made her mark. In 2014, she starred as Cilla Black in Cilla, played a cleaner with a gambling addiction in Cleaning Up and also starred in a number of true crime dramas with her the mother of a young gay man killed by Stephen Port in Four Lives, and as Karen Matthews’ friend Julie Bushby in the BBC drama The Moorside.
Daniel York Loh stars as Sheridan’s on-screen husband but has been seen before in Strangers and the short-lived sitcom Scarborough(Image: ITV)
But Sheridan is not the only famous face to be starring in the much-anticipated drama. She is joined by Enzo Cilenti as DS Mark Braithwaite. He previously starred in Jekyll & Hyde for ITV alongside Hollywood star Richard E. Grant and Strictly Come Dancing’s Natalie Gumede. He also had a main role as Aubrey Hackett in The Last Tycoon opposite Lily Collins, Matt Bomer and Kelsey Grammar and can also be seen alongside Olivia Colman and Dominic West in the 2019 BBC version of Les Miserables.
Esteemed actor Andrew Lancel makes an appearance as Guy Whitburn QC in I Fought The Law, but soap fans are likely to remember him as the villainous Frank Foster on Coronation Street. He appeared as the business associate of Underworld manager Carla Connor (Alison King), and subjected the factory boss to a horrific act of rape.
He was later found dead on the factory floor and it turned out that he had been murdered by his own mother Anne, who was played by Heartbeat favourite Gwen Taylor, after she discovered what he had done. Prior to his stint on the cobbles, he had appeared on Bad Girls and Queer as Folk and has also carved out an illustrious career in theatre having starred in tours of The Sound of Music and Cilla.
Andrew Lancel is known to Coronation Street fans as the villainous Frank Foster (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The cast is rounded out by Victoria Wyant, who plays the victim in question, as well as Rivals star as Rufus Jones. The actor recently starred as Paul Stratton in the hit Disney+ series and has also starred in The Casual Vacancy and appeared in the likes of Inside No. 9, Beyond Paradise and Black Ops over the years. Fans of Hollyoaks might also recognise Kent Riley, who played Zak Ramsey in the Channel 4 soap.
CBBC fans might also recognise Aimee Kelly, who plays Judith Morden in the drama series. The actress first found fame as a teenager when she played Maddy Smith in the hit supernatural series Wolfblood opposite Bobby Lockwood.
Since she quit the supernatural series more than a decade ago, she has appeared in episodes of Call The Midwife, Grantchester and Holby City. In 2024, she played Sasha in the psychological thriller Platform 7. Others set to appear in the programme, which finishes its run on September 8, are Jack James Riley, Bryony Corrigan, and Buddy Wignall-Ho.
Ann, unhappy with the Cleveland Constabulary’s investigation, took it upon herself to challenge senior officers in a bid to uncover the truth about her daughter Julie’s murder and bring the culprit to justice.
William Dunlop was twice put on trial for Julie’s murder, each time denying his guilt. On both occasions, the jury failed to reach a verdict, leading to his formal acquittal and release.
In 1999, while serving a seven-year sentence for violent offences, Dunlop confessed to a prison officer that he had murdered Julie. At the time, due to the double jeopardy rule, he could not be retried for the murder following his acquittal.
Ann, who also serves as a consultant on I Fought the Law, expressed her support for the ITV series and shared her delight that actress Sheridan would be portraying her, stating she was “overwhelmed”.
“I am very pleased that Hera Pictures will tell the story of my campaign to overturn the Double Jeopardy Law. My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law. I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie.
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps had us in stitches for years – but a rumoured reunion still hasn’t been planned. Here’s everything you need to know about where the cast is now
The Two Pints crew – Kathryn Drysdale as Louise, Ralf Little as Jonny, Sheridan Smith as Janet, Will Mellor as Gaz and Natalie Casey as Donna.(Image: BBC)
There was one go-to TV series in the early-Noughties that still lives rent-free in our heads. And despite fans clamouring for years for a reunion, the cast of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps are still holding out on us.
The BBC sitcom revolved around the friendships and love lives of five twenty-something pals. And given the show’s title, a lot of the action revolved around their local pub in glamorous Runcorn, Cheshire. First airing in 2001, Two Pints quickly became a cult classic, with many viewers considering it one of the all-time best British comedies, and others finding it a guilty pleasure.
Across nine explosive series there were fights, cheating and a tear-jerking death of a main character that had us all in floods of tears after he was eaten by a shark. There was even that ground-breaking episode where viewers got to decide whether Gaz should be with Donna or Janet.
The cast of Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps
In 2019, actor Will Mellor revealed he had been speaking to show creator Sue Nickson about a reunion after fans got in touch on social media.
Will told fans: “Well, I have been listening and reading your messages and I think we are going to get a Two Pints special off the ground.
“I spoke to Susan Nickson (the show’s creator) and we are hopefully going to try and get a Two Pints special going. Just to say thank you for all the support of people who love the show and got behind it.
“Watch this space, just got to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s and hopefully a Two Pints special will be on the way.”
But dreams of a comeback were crushed because one cast member wouldn’t pick up the phone (more on that below).
Here’s what happened to the Two Pints cast after the show wrapped.
Will Mellor – Gaz Wilkinson
Will Mellor played Gaz on the long-running comedy(Image: BBC)
Mechanic Gaz was your typical bloke who loved beer, booze and babes, as well as having a soft spot for Hollyoaks and Monarch of the Glen.
Gaz had some strange habits, like only using bread from the middle of the loaf, and was an avid collector of pornography.
He was madly in love with Donna but the pair split when he had a one-night stand with her best pal Janet.
They got back together after a road accident and finally got married in series 7, but on their wedding day, Gaz discovered he was the father of Janet’s son. Donna left so Gaz and Janet could be together, but then returned in series 8, with viewers voting for Gaz to choose Donna.
He was left in a year-long coma after a car accident then decided to travel the world, but Donna revealed she would not be coming after a heartbreaking discovery.
After Two Pints, Will played a womanising salesman in EastEnders and made guest appearances in Merlin and Waterloo Road. He starred in White Van Man, Broadchurch, In the Club, Death in Paradise and Line of Duty.
Will, who is the voice of the Funky Pigeon ads, was also a frequent panelist and guest judge on Celebrity Juice.
“They were the best times, it wasn’t like hard work, it was like being with your friends,” said Will as he reminisced about the show. “We’d go out at weekends and be together everyday, we were a lot younger and had no responsibilities so we could have a few drinks and wake up fresh every day, but now if I have a few drinks it takes me three days.”
Will Mellor is a cheeky chappy(Image: Getty Images Europe)
During the Covid lockdown, he and Ralf launched their podcast, Two Pints with Will & Ralf, after hearing from fans that they were loving watching reruns of the sitcom.
“Nostalgia is a big thing, people grew up with that show, and we did have a script called Two Pints, Last Orders,” he revealed in 2024. “Susan Nickson, the original creator, wrote it, and the BBC said they didn’t want to revisit it. So there is a massive hunger for it.”
And Will said he could see himself signing up for a reunion special if it was in the works. “People are begging us to really bring it back, and I would always be up for going back there and revisiting it, whether it be a documentary or a one-off special, because it was a massive part of my life and people loved it,” he added.
Sheridan Smith – Janet Keough
Janet and Donna were best pals(Image: BBC TWO)
Janet was the homely girl who loved “things that go bleep bleep”, having a Cheeky Vimto down the pub and rich tea biscuits. Having been with Jonny since the start of the show, Janet realised she wasn’t in love with him after they got engaged and dumped him.
But she got jealous after seeing him with another woman and persuaded him to get back together – with the pair marrying in series 5. They had a son, Corinthian McVitie Keogh, but tragedy struck when Jonny was killed in a horrifying shark attack.
She realised that she loved Gaz but he chose to be with Donna, so she moved away to Milton Keynes. Sheridan Smith is the most famous star to come from the show – with her career sky-rocketing thanks to her talent.
The actress has received critical acclaim for her performances in a string of TV dramas including Mrs Biggs, Cilla, The C Word and The Moorside. She is also known for her comedy roles in Gavin & Stacey as Smithy’s sister, Benidorm, and Jonathan Creek.
Sheridan and her Gavin & Stacey co-star James Corden were in a relationship for two years (Image: Getty Images)
As well as the telly she is a star of the stage, performing on the West End in Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde, and Joseph.
Sheridan won two Olivier Awards, a BAFTA, an NTA and received two International Emmy Awards. But after her late father’s cancer diagnosis, the talented star was embroiled in a series of scandals.
She had a public “meltdown” in 2016 while starring in the West End adaptation of Funny Girl, amid reports of missing curtain calls, appearing on stage under the influence of alcohol, and disappointing the audience. Eventually she took a leave of absence from the show from “stress and exhaustion”.
Sheridan admitted hearing Graham Norton make a joke about her being a drunk while he was hosting the BAFTAs was her lowest point. “I was so humiliated,” she told an ITV documentary in 2020.
“It’s a room full of your peers, people you want to work with or have worked with. That night, for me, was like the final straw before my brain totally went off the deep end.
“Here I was in unbelievable distress, and a room full of people in my industry were laughing at me.”
Sheridan Smith struggled with alcohol abuse after her father was diagnosed with cancer(Image: Getty Images Europe)
But with therapy and tackling her drinking, Sheridan managed to recover and even discussed in 2021 wanting to be a part of any potential Two Pints reunion. “It would be quite funny to see where Janet ended up,” she mused at the time. “She’d probably have about 20 kids or something, still in the pub!”
It would have been music to the ears of her former co-star Will, who had claimed in 2020 that Sheridan hadn’t spoken to him in three years, and there would be no reunion if she wasn’t available.
Speaking on The Morning After With Paul Danan podcast in May of 2020, Will said: “Sheridan just won’t talk about it. She’s not spoken to me in over three years now. It’s like she just won’t pick up the phone about it. There is just no point in going down that route.
“I don’t know what happened, we last spoke about three, maybe four years ago and since then she won’t reply to my calls or text messages at all. I wanted to be there but she’s just not interested so there is no point in going there. We can’t get a Two Pints reunion together without her.”
Natalie Casey – Donna Henshaw
Donna was Gaz’s feisty girlfriend(Image: BBC)
Loud-mouthed Donna was Gaz’s long-term girlfriend and then wife. Not afraid to say it how it is, Donna had a vicious temper and once killed an ex-boyfriend’s budgie.
Donna and Gaz briefly split after he had a one-night stand with her best pal Janet, during which time she considered plastic surgery, but they got back together after his accident. They finally married in series 7 but then Donna got a job in London and left Gaz. He then chose to be with her when she returned in series 8.
Donna had quite a tragic ending as she cancelled plans to travel the world with Gaz after finding out she may have cancer, but didn’t tell him the heartbreaking reason and waved goodbye at the airport.
Natalie Casey forged a successful theatre career after Two Pints(Image: MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS)
Another former Hollyoaks cast member, actress Natalie Casey co-presented Big Brother’s Little Brother with Dermot O’Leary.
She went on to have a successful theatre career, starring in The Vagina Monologues, The Wedding Singer, Fame, and Legally Blonde. She has become a popular narrator and was the voice of Dinner Date. Since 2022 she has narrated Cash In The Attic.
Ralf Little – Jonny Keogh
There was a tragic end for poor Jonny(Image: BBC)
Daytime TV lover Jonny had some very bizarre tastes, including eating cat food, desiccated coconut and a Jammy Dodger fetish. While Johnny had a secret obsession with Titanic and kids’ cartons, he struggled with his feminine side and lashed out at anyone who mocked him.
Unemployed Johnny, who described himself as a “lazy gobs***e”, tried to do best for his son and wife Janet. In a cruel twist at the start of series 7, Johnny was killed off-screen. Janet discovered he had been eaten by a shark after winning a shark-jumping competition in Hawaii.
Since his character’s demise, actor Ralf Little has appeared in BBC series Robin Hood and in 2019 was confirmed as the new lead star of Death in Paradise. At the start of lockdown, Will got together with Ralf to bring back the spirit of Two Pints with a new project.
In May 2020 they released a brand new podcast, Two Pints with Will & Ralf, to talk about the old days and have some pub banter while at home. Off the back of that success, the pair landed themselves a TV series, Will & Ralf Should Know Better, which has just announced it has been recommissioned for a second series.
Ralf and best mate Will scored themselves a TV series off the back of their successful podcast(Image: (Image: U&Dave))
Will said: “I’m so happy to be making a second series of this show with Ralf – we had so much fun filming series one and it seems the public loved it just as much as us. The reaction to series one was overwhelming.”
And Ralf added: “Somehow, they’ve let us do this again! I’m buzzing to be back with Will for round two — more adventures, more questionable decisions, and probably more moments where we ask, “What on earth are we doing?”. I’m incredibly grateful for the response to the first series, and I can’t wait to get started on the next.”
Ralf also filmed a travel series with former Royle Family co-star Ricky Tomlinson.
Kathryn Drysdale – Louise Brooks
Louise (far right) had a very distinctive voice(Image: BBC)
Ditzy Louise was best known for that incredible high-pitched voice, which barmaid Kelly said “chills her to the bones”. She was always on the hunt for the man of her dreams but was always clinging onto her childish side – having a love of Sylvanian Families, Steps, and the Disney Store.
Louise was once arrested and charged with incitement to GBH after changing Johnny’s profile at the Office of National Statistics to that of an armed criminal, which resulted in him getting shot.
Louise got pregnant by Donna’s younger brother, Dion, calling her baby girl ‘Louise Louise Brooks’. She left Runcorn to join a “weird moon-worshipping cult” at the end of series 8 after meeting a new popstar boyfriend.
Kathryn Drysdale bagged a huge role in Netflix regency series Bridgerton(Image: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)
Louise was supposed to come back for the final series, but didn’t because actress Kathryn Drysdale was busy filming Benidorm.
She also appeared as Taylor in the first St Trinian’s movie. Kathryn has made guest appearances in Death in Paradise, Horrible Histories and Plebs, before landing the part of Meghan Markle in The Windsors.
More recently, she stole the show in the Netflix mega-hit Bridgerton, playing the duplicitous Genevieve Delacroix – owner and dressmaker of the most popular Modiste.
