Hugh Laurie has landed the lead role of Judge Hiller B Zobel in a new HBO drama about British nanny Louise Woodward. The actor, known for Blackadder, The Night Manager and House, will portray the judge who presided over the 1997 trial in which Woodward was convicted of killing a baby while working as an au pair in the United States.
The trial was televised live and sparked a transatlantic war of words when Woodward was jailed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The new series is being filmed to mark the 30th anniversary next year.
Creative Team Behind the Series
The series is directed by Susanne Bier, known for The Night Manager, and written by Matthew Barry, producer of Adolescence. It will examine what happened to Matthew Eappen and the extraordinary media circus that followed.
HBO describes it as the story of how an 18-year-old British au pair was accused of shaking a baby to death, triggering an 'international media firestorm'.
Producer's Comments on the Trial
Barry said: "The trial of Louise Woodward raised profound questions about childcare, working mothers, class and the role of an emerging 24/7 media. 30 years later, those questions feel more urgent and relevant than ever. I’m grateful to be working with Susanne [Bier, director and executive producer] and our partners at HBO to bring this story, in all its complexity, to the screen."
Catriona Chandler is playing Woodward, with Meghann Fahy and Chloe Sevigny also in lead roles. Francesca Orsi, head of HBO drama series and films, said: "Matthew’s compassionate approach to this gripping true story, paired with Susanne’s powerfully distinct directorial vision and Meghann’s exceptional talent, has brought together an extraordinary creative team whose work we’re excited to share with our audience soon."
Details of the 1997 Trial
On 30 October 1997, after 26 hours of deliberations, the jury found Woodward, then 19, guilty of second degree murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen. Just 11 days later, judge Zobel effectively overruled the jury's verdict.
He reduced Woodward’s conviction from second-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter, concluding the evidence supported culpability but not the malice required for murder. He wrote: "I am morally certain that allowing this defendant on this evidence to remain convicted of second-degree murder would be a miscarriage of justice."
Zobel instead sentenced Woodward to 279 days – the amount of time she had already spent in custody – and she walked free and flew back to Britain. The decision prompted scenes of jubilation among Woodward’s supporters in Britain but devastation for Matthew’s parents, who were both doctors.
The dramatic reduction of sentence was not an acquittal. Woodward remained convicted of causing Matthew’s death. At the time, prosecutors appealed in an attempt to reinstate the murder conviction, while Woodward’s lawyers sought to have her remaining conviction overturned. Woodward is now a mum herself and lives in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. She completed a law degree and worked as a dance teacher.
