A new drama series tells the story of Anne Williams, who spent more than 20 years fighting for justice over the death of her son in the Hillsborough disaster.
Maxine Peake portrays the tireless campaigner in Anne, which is airing on ITV over consecutive nights this week.
The actress said: “What an amazing woman Anne was. [It’s important] that we never forget Hillsborough because unfortunately this kind of situation isn’t a thing of the past.”
Who was Anne Williams?
Williams, a mother-of-three from Formby who worked in a newsagent, became a key figure in the campaign for fresh inquests into the Hillsborough disaster after the initial verdict of accidental death.
Her 15-year-old son Kevin was one of the 97 supporters who lost their lives at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989.
Following the tragedy, Williams dedicated her life to challenging the official verdict by seeking fresh medical opinions and tracking down witnesses who had tried to revive her son on the pitch.
She was refused a judicial review of the initial findings in 1993, and made several subsequent legal appeals which were rejected by attorney generals and the European Court of Human Rights.
When was Anne Williams’ death?
23 years after the disaster, her campaigning was finally vindicated on 12 September 2012, when an independent report confirmed Williams’ belief that many of the victims who died at Hillsborough could have been saved.
However, by the time that the initial inquest was officially quashed by the High Court in December that year, Williams had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The campaigner died on 18 April 2013 at the age of 60, and she was posthumously awarded the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards later that year.
Williams’ brother Danny, son Michael and daughter Sara received the award on her behalf from Alan Hansen, the former Liverpool star who had played on the day of the tragedy.
Three years later, in April 2016, a new inquest concluded that the people who died at Hillsborough had been unlawfully killed, finding that police and ambulance service on the day had “caused or contributed” to the disaster.
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When is Anne on ITV?
Starting on Sunday 2 January, Anne is airing over four consecutive nights, with each episode starting at 9.00pm on ITV.
The mini-series was written by Kevin Sampson, the author of Hillsborough Voices, who interviewed Williams several times for his book.
It was developed with the support of her daughter Sara, who said: “This is something I have thought very carefully about before deciding to go ahead.
“Mum’s story is such a powerful and inspiring one, and we all remember how important she always felt it was to get the message out there and bang the drum for justice.”
All four episodes will be available to watch after broadcast on the ITV Hub online streaming service.
The drama series will be followed by an additional documentary, The Real Anne: Unfinished Business, which airs on Thursday at 9.00pm on ITV.
