Hillsborough drama Anne about a victim’s mother’s real-life fight for justice leaves viewers in tears over ‘utterly heartbreaking’ moment she discovers her son, 15, died in the tragedy
- ITV viewers have been left sobbing over Hillsborough factual drama Anne
- Episode one of the new four-part series about Anne Williams aired last night
- Her 15-year-old son Kevin was one of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished in the 1989 tragedy
ITV viewers have been left sobbing and ‘feeling physically sick’ over ‘utterly heartbreaking’ Hillsborough drama Anne.
Episode one of the new four-part series, which aired last night, saw Maxine Peak’s character Anne Williams break down in tears after discovering her 15-year-old son Kevin was one of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished in the 1989 tragedy.
He was killed in a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire on 15 April of that year.
Anne spent her life campaigning for justice after her son’s death was ruled as ‘accidental’ and in the first episode of the factual drama about her story, viewers were left distraught upon seeing the mother forced to identify her son.
Maxine’s character and her husband Steve, played by Stephen Walters, were asked by police to look at photographs on a board to see whether their teenage boy was one of the victims. They both sobbed as they discovered an image of their son.
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ITV viewers have been left sobbing and ‘feeling physically sick’ over ‘utterly heartbreaking’ Hillsborough drama Anne (pictured)
Episode one of the new four-part series, which aired last night, saw Maxine Peak’s character Anne Williams (pictured left in 2012) break down in tears after discovering her 15-year-old son Kevin (pictured right) was one of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished in the 1989 tragedy
Anne spent her life campaigning for justice after her son’s death was ruled as ‘accidental’ and in the first episode of the factual drama about her story, viewers (above) were left distraught upon seeing the mother forced to identify her son
‘I can’t,’ said a tearful Anne as she and her husband were ushered into a room by a policeman where several Polaroids were pinned to a board, showing the unidentified victims of the tragedy.
‘If you can, just take a look at the photographs and let me know if your loved one is among them,’ said the policeman, only to be told by the distraught mother: ‘Kevin, sorry but his name is Kevin.’
Upon entering the room, Anne scanned the board quickly, insisting: ‘No, no, no, he isn’t there. Kevin isn’t one of them.’
But her tearful husband soon admitted: ‘Kevin’s on the board… He’s on the board Anne… He’s number 51.’
With a devastated Anne interrupting: ‘No he’s not. You’ve got it wrong. No he’s not, no he’s not.’
She eventually walked up to the picture of her son and breaks down, shouting: ‘I want to see him. Where is he? I need to see him.’
Maxine’s character and her husband Steve, played by Stephen Walters, were asked by police to look at photographs on a board to see whether their teenage boy was one of the victims. They both sobbed as they discovered an image of their son (pictured)
‘I can’t,’ said a tearful Anne as she and her husband (pictured together) were ushered into a room by a policeman where several Polaroids were pinned to a board, showing the unidentified victims of the tragedy
Viewers were left in tears following the emotional scenes of the first episode, with one person writing on Twitter: ‘I feel physically sick watching this. Completely sickening and utterly heartbreaking.’
Another said: ‘I underestimated how hard watching #Anne was going to be. It’s heartbreaking.’
A third added: ‘That was harrowing and deeply upsetting to put it mildly’, while a fourth wrote: ‘Only 20 minutes into #Anne and I’m heartbroken. The pain & loss that day is unbearable.’
A fifth said: ‘Honestly I’ve bawled my eyes out. The absolute devastation that @MPeakeOfficial and @StephenWalters portrayed in that was heartbreaking.
‘I was only six when it happened but I still remember the atmosphere of shock, hurt and anger around me. Excellent first episode.’
Maxine previously admitted during an appearance on This Morning that she ‘didn’t hesitate’ in accepting the role and decided that she wanted to play the part of Anne before even reading the script.
Reaction: Viewers were left in tears following the emotional scenes of the first episode, with one person writing on Twitter: ‘I feel physically sick watching this. Completely sickening and utterly heartbreaking.’
Anne died aged 62 after dedicating her life to challenging flawed medical evidence accepted at the inquest of her son’s death and its verdict of accidental death.
Before her death, Anne lived to see the truth about the disaster fully established, with the report of the Hillsborough independent panel.
Speaking on playing the part of Anne, Maxine said: ‘When the script came through. You get a call saying there’s a script coming your way and it’s about Anne Williams and before I read the script, I said ‘Oh yes’ and my agent said, ‘Just read it, just in case.’ I definitely didn’t hesitate.’
Stephen, who starred in Outlander, spoke of his own personal experience with Hillsborough when his cousin attended the tragic game.
He said on This Morning: ‘I remember my dad trying to contact my uncle John because his son was at the game, he was a season ticket holder, there was a frantic panic with that.
Maxine (pictured in character) previously admitted during an appearance on This Morning that she ‘didn’t hesitate’ in accepting the role and decided that she wanted to play the part of Anne before even reading the script
April 1989: Supporters are crushed against the barrier as disaster strikes before the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest played at the Hillsborough
Honoured: Tributes are left at the Hillsborough memorial at the Anfield ground (pictured 2012)
‘I remember my brother going to Anfield with his scarf. There was a memorial there, a sea of red and white, flowers, cards, photographs. Everybody had a story like that in the community, whether it was neighbours or school, the reverberations are still felt 30 years later and are still talked about now.’
Maxine went on to say that once people found out she was starring in the drama they were also keen to join the cast.
On filming in Liverpool, Maxine said, ‘We had a fabulous cast of local actors. When it was announced I was playing Anne, people got in touch, actors I knew saying, “Can you get me in?” It doesn’t normally happen like that. But there are certain stories, especially based on fact. It is part of our sporting history, but it’s part of our wider history.’
On Anne’s resilience, Maxine said, ‘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 channelled her anger and that’s what drove 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.”‘
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