Cherished (film)

Cherished
Timothy Spall and Sarah Lancashire as Terry and Angela Cannings
GenreTrue crime
Written byGwyneth Hughes
Directed byRobin Shepperd
StarringSarah Lancashire
Timothy Spall
Jake Nightingale
Alison Lomas
Emma Cunniffe
James Barriscale
Ian McNeice
ComposerMark Russell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersSusan Hogg
Simon Lewis
ProducerPolly Hill
CinematographyDaf Hobson
EditorLiz Webber
Running time90 minutes[1]
Production companyBBC Drama Group
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release22 February 2005 (2005-02-22TUK)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Cherished is a single British true crime drama, written by acclaimed screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes, that first broadcast on BBC One on 22 February 2005.[1] Starring Sarah Lancashire as protagonist Angela Cannings, the drama is based on Cannings' wrongful conviction for the deaths of two of her infant children, Jason and Matthew. Directed by Robin Sheppard, the drama also stars Timothy Spall as Angela's husband Terry, Emma Cunniffe as Angela's sister Claire; and Ian McNeice as her defence barrister; Bill Bache.[2] The drama was a joint production between the BBC's drama and current affairs wings.[1] 5.18 million viewers tuned in for the initial broadcast.[3] Similarly to other true-life BBC productions of the time; Cherished has never been released on DVD.

Cannings herself said of the production; "We're still suffering the aftermath of this whole episode. This film is for Jade, so when she is older she can see what it was all about. The general public would assume that we've got back together and that's it. But there is an awful lot of healing. It doesn't just heal overnight. Even now I sit and think why we had to go through all that. We've had quite a lot to do with the scriptwriter, the BBC has been very good. They've dealt with us very fairly." Sarah Lancashire said of playing the part of Cannings; "I'm delighted to be playing the part of Angela. When I read the script I was very moved. The loss of any child is a dreadful thing, the loss of three is unimaginable. Whilst any parent could relate to the anguish that Terry and Angela must have felt I cannot comprehend the strength it must have taken to sustain Angela through even a part of a life sentence. Theirs is a remarkable story."[4]

  1. ^ a b c Barnes, Anthony; Bloomfield, Steve (1 August 2004). "BBC to film story of Angela Cannings". The Independent. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. ^ Dyer, Clare (2005). "Cherished". BMJ. 330 (7489): 484. doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7489.484. PMC 549674.
  3. ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes | BARB". Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. ^ "BBC - Drama - Cherished". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2019.