ITV’s New Sarah Ferguson Drama Will Air ‘Very Soon’
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2 weeks ago
Watch the teaser trailer below
The Crown may have concluded, but there’s no shortage of royal tales to tell – and this one is pretty juicy. Announced by ITV at the end of 2024, The Lady delves into the scandal surrounding Jane Andrews, one of the dressers and aides of the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, fondly known as Fergie. Because in 2001, Jane was convicted of murder…
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The Lady: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More
MIA McKENNA-BRUCE as Jane Andrews & NATALIE DORMER as Sarah Ferguson in The Lady. (© ITV)
What Will Happen?
Across four episodes, The Lady will retell the true story of Jane Andrews, a dresser and aide of Sarah Ferguson from 1988 to 1997. Reportedly paid a salary of £18,000 (equivalent to £61,000 today), Jane worked for the Duchess at Buckingham Palace, and developed a rather opulent lifestyle as a result. She gained a higher social status, a new circle of friends and developed relationships with upper class men, but was eventually dismissed in 1997 – due to cost-cutting, Buckingham Palace maintains.
However, since it is being described as ‘partly fictionalised’ by writer Debbie O’Malley, we’re sure The Lady will delve into more of the rumoured scandals goings on in the Palace: that Fergie was allegedly having a clandestine affair with a Tuscan aristocrat who, in turn, had his own feelings for Jane – and that’s why the aide was dismissed.
Regardless, after she left Buckingham Palace and Fergie’s side, Jane hopped between jobs and began a relationship with former stockbroker Thomas Cressman in 1998. Flash forward to 2000, and Jane found herself accused of murdering Tom following a heated argument – a woman scorned…
Watch the trailer below for a taste of the action:
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According to ITV, the official synopsis for The Lady is as follows: ‘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.
‘Once a young working-class girl from Grimsby, Jane answered an advertisement in the magazine The Lady and to the astonishment of her friends and family, became the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace.
‘Moving amongst the highest social circles in Britain, Jane managed to secure a place in the upper-classes, only to lose her job with the Duchess after nine years of service.
‘Still reeling from her fall from grace, Jane went on to meet charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell deeply in love.
‘Soon cracks began to develop in the romance Jane had pinned all her hopes on, with disastrous consequences.’
NATALIE DORMER as Sarah Ferguson & MIA McKENNA-BRUCE as Jane Andrews in The Lady. (© ITV)
‘Inspired by true events, The Lady is a riveting exploration of ambition, desire, and the pursuit of social mobility,’ shares Robert Schildhouse of BritBox, which is co-producing the series with ITV. ‘With a brilliant script penned by Debbie O’Malley, and with the creative partnership of Left Bank Pictures and ITV, we are intent on portraying this true crime drama with nuance and depth. We know the universal themes of power, class, and belonging will resonate with audiences everywhere.’
Of course, it is all based on true events – which we’ve delved into below. But first, who will star?
MIA McKENNA-BRUCE as Jane Andrews in The Lady. (© ITV)
The Cast
It’s a star-studded cast led by Mia McKenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews and Ed Speleers as her murdered lover Thomas Cressman, plus Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson.
McKenna-Bruce rose to fame as a child star in CBBC’s Tracey Beaker Returns, but has since gone on to win the BAFTA Rising Star Award thanks to her role in How To Have Sex (2023). You might also recognise her from Get Even (2020), Vampire Academy (2022) and most recently Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials on Netfix (2026).
Dormer meanwhile is best known for her role as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones (2012–16) and Anne Boleyn in The Tudors (2007–10), while you will recognise Speleers from Downton Abbey (2012–14), Wolf Hall (2015) and season four of Netflix’s You (2023).
Elsewhere Claire Skinner stars as Jane’s mother.
The full cast we know so far is as follows.
- Mia McKenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews
- Natalie Dormer as Sarah, Duchess of York
- Ed Speleers as Thomas Cressman
- Claire Skinner as Jane’s mother
- Philip Glenister
- Laura Aikman
- Ophelia Lovibond
- Mark Stanley
- Daniel Ryan
- Sean Teale
MIA McKENNA-BRUCE as Jane Andrews & ED SPELEERS as Tommy in The Lady. (© ITV)
The Full Story
After meeting the wealthy businessman in 1998, Jane became infatuated with her new beau Thomas, pinning all of her marriage and children hopes on him.
Two years into their relationship, the couple holidayed in Italy together before visiting Thomas’ family villa on the French Riviera. On this lavish trip, Jane was expecting a proposal and a shiny diamond befitting her newfound status – but instead, he revealed he had no intention of marrying Jane at all.
Upon their return to London, a heated argument ensued, with Thomas even phoning the police fearing one or the other of them might get hurt. No police came. Eventually, Thomas fell asleep – when Jane, scorned, hit him with a cricket bat and stabbed him with a knife, killing him.
Jane fled the scene, texting friends to inquire after Thomas’ whereabouts in an attempt at an alibi. Police searched for Jane, who claimed Thomas was being blackmailed, and found her overdosed in her car in Cornwall. She survived the suicide attempt and was eventually arrested and charged with Thomas’ murder in 2001.
‘When Jane Andrews was tried for the murder of Thomas Cressman in 2001 it made headlines around the world,’ shares series writer Debbie O’Malley. ‘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. And this story, tied up with our national preoccupation with class and our ongoing obsession with the Royal family, feels every bit as relevant now as it did twenty years ago.’
ED SPELEERS as Tommy in The Lady. (© ITV)
And of course there’s another tidbit of relevance as Fergie herself – more of a supporting character in The Lady – finds herself in the spotlight as her strange and surreptitious relationship with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein comes to light. No doubt ITV is expediting the drama to draw in audiences intrigued by the once universally beloved ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
But The Lady won’t be getting any promotion from Natalie Dormer, the Game of Thrones star taking on the role of Fergie. In September 2025, the star declared she would not be promoting the royal drama in the light of Sarah Ferguson’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
‘When I agreed to take the role in The Lady, I knew portraying the script’s Sarah Ferguson would require nuance,’ the star told Variety. ‘People are layered, their journeys are full of highs and lows, and as an actor, my job is to lean into those elements and bring them to life with honesty and empathy. Since completing the project, new information has come to light that makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behavior, which I believe is inexcusable. For that reason, I will not be taking part in the promotion of the project.’
She went on to reveal she has donated all of her earnings from the show to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) and the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (hosted by Barnardo’s).
Release Date
We’re told The Lady will air ‘very soon’, but no specific news just yet. Stay tuned for updates.
In the UK, The Lady will air on ITV1 and ITVX; in the US, it will air on BritBox.
