A powerful new drama series based on the events of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster is set to air on ITV this January.
Anne is the story of Anne Williams, who sadly passed away back in 2013 (aged 62) who dedicated her life to getting justice for the victims of the fatal disaster, after her own son Kevin was one of 97 football fans killed.
Award-winning actress Maxine Peake will star as Anne, Anne’s husband Steve Williams is played by Outlander actor Stephen Walters.
Anne had famously rejected claims that football fans were to blame for the disaster and fought to prove that the victims were unlawfully killed due to police negligence.
The activist sought new medical opinions, found witnesses who had tried to revive her son Kevin on the pitch, and lobbied ministers for new inquests.
Anne fought for over 20 years, alongside the parents and relatives to prove that their loved ones had been unlawfully killed at the football match and often put campaigning before her own health and family.
Maxine Peake spoke about taking on the role of the legendary activist on ITV’s This Morning:
“She never gave up.
“There are times you see in the drama where she maybe felt like it, but she continued on. You felt she never got bitter.
“She was angry, but she channeled her anger and that’s what drover her forward. She was very dignified with it.
“She famously said: ‘They’re trying to grind me down, but I’ll grind them down first.'”
Filmed on location around Liverpool, Anne is directed by BAFTA-winning director Bruce Goodison and produced by World Productions.
The ITV series has been developed with the support of Anne’s daughter, Sara, who was just nine years old when her brother died. Sara has carried on her Mum’s work and has assisted Kevin in the writing process.
Episode one of the four-part drama series is set to air on ITV on Sunday 2nd January 2022.
