The Lady TV Series Follows Murderer With Close Royal Family Connection

The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures is bringing a new true crime series called The Lady to ITV, which will tell the story of Jane Andrews — convicted killer and former dresser to the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.

The four-part drama series will offer a “partially fictionalized” account of Andrews’ life, following her path from abject poverty to trusted confidant of a royal family member to murderer when, in 2001, she was convicted of stabbing her lover Thomas Cressman to death with a kitchen knife.

At the time of Cressman’s murder, Andrews had been working for the Duchess of York for nearly a decade; the murder earned her the nickname of the “fatal attraction killer.” Per the show’s description, “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.”

ITV previously released a documentary about her titled Fergie’s Killer Dresser: The Jane Andrews Story in 2021. As for the upcoming drama series, The Lady will be written by Debbie O’Malley and directed by Lee Haven Jones. The Crown producer Florence Hadden-Cave signed on as an executive producer.

“Debbie’s compelling and brilliant scripts re-evaluate what we think we know of Jane Andrews and the events that led to the tragic end of Thomas Cressman’s life,” Helen Ziegler, who will oversee the production on behalf of ITV and ITVX, said in a Wednesday, December 4, statement.

Keep scrolling to read more about ITV’s The Lady:

Who Is Jane Andrews?

Sian McWilliams, the creative director at Left Bank Pictures, said of the series, “[O’Malley’s] beautifully nuanced scripts deftly explore the tragic series of events that led to the murder of Thomas Cressman and pose the question — who is the real Jane Andrews?”

Andrews was born into poverty in 1967 and grew up in Lincolnshire. She struggled with depression and eating disorders from an early age, and attempted suicide for the first time at 15 years old. She was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder during the murder trial.

As for how she landed her gig in Buckingham Palace, Andrews reportedly found an anonymous job advertisement in search of a personal dresser posted in The Lady magazine. Six months later, Andrews was hired as Ferguson’s personal dresser. She was 21 years old.

Andrews and Ferguson reportedly hit it off very quickly. It was said Ferguson had even started calling her new dresser “Lady Jane” as an affectionate nickname.

However, during her trial, Andrews was described as a relentless social climber who was obsessed with Fergie and tried to copy everything about her, from the Duchess’ style to her accent.

In 1998, she began an intense romantic affair with Cressman, a former stockbroker. Before his murder, the couple had vacationed together and Cressman reportedly rejected any notion of ever marrying Andrews. When they returned home, the pair had an argument so heated that Cressman called the cops fearing for their safety. Later that night after he had gone to sleep, Andrews hit Cressman with a cricket bat and stabbed him in the chest, killing him.

After working for the Duchess for nine years, Andrews was sentenced to life in prison.

Who Is in ‘The Lady’ Cast?

No casting announcements have been made for The Lady yet. There is also no trailer or a release date. The series will be set in both Grimsby and London and will begin filming sometime in early 2025. Casting news for The Lady will be announced closer to the filming start date.

What to Expect From ‘The Lady’ Series?

Robert Schildhouse, president and general manager of BritBox North America and BritBox International, described the show as a “riveting exploration of ambition, desire and the pursuit of social mobility,” adding that the series will intend to portray “this true crime drama with nuance and depth.”

He added, “We know the universal themes of power, class, and belonging will resonate with audiences everywhere.”

In the same statement, O’Malley, the show’s writer, noted, “When Jane Andrews was tried for the murder of Thomas Cressman in 2001 it made headlines around the world.” She added, “But behind those headlines, lay a much more complex, painful and thought-provoking story — an exploration of female ambition and human frailty and a devastating chain of events that ended in the taking of a man’s life.”

According to O’Malley, the story of Andrews is “tied up with our national preoccupation with class and our ongoing obsession with the Royal family,” saying it “feels every bit as relevant now as it did twenty years ago.”