ITV viewers have called new drama Anne a "gut-wrenching" watch after the series debuted on Sunday night.
Anne covers the life of justice campaigner Anne Williams (Maxine Peake), after dedicating her life to fighting for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster, including her 15-year-old son Kevin (Campbell Wallace). While Outlander actor Stephen Walters portrays Anne’s husband Steve Williams.
A scene in which she identifies his body left fans feeling particularly emotional.
Watch the clip below:
Reacting to the scene, one fan wrote: "Watching #Anne on ITV. The scene where they had to look through the polaroids was heartbreaking. So glad that the 97 victims got the justice they deserved."
Another person tweeted: "How heartbreaking to have to wait all those hours and then find out via a Polaroid photo that your child has died. Just awful."
In the first episode, Anne’s son Kevin begs his mum and step-dad Steve to attend the Liverpool versus Nottingham Forest game at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield.
Kevin’s parents are initially hesitant about letting him attend away games but they let him go because he’s so excited to see the semi-final match.
When he doesn’t return home on after the game and following reports of deaths from overcrowding at the game, Anne and Steve drive to Sheffield for answers where they must identify their son’s body by looking at polaroid pictures of the victims.
After Anne discovered her own son was one of the 97 football fans killed during the disaster on 15th April 1989, she dedicated the rest of her life to fighting for justice.
Leading up to her death in 2013, she famously rejected claims that football fans were to blame for the disaster and she fought to prove that the victims were unlawfully killed due to police negligence.
Viewers have only seen the first episode from the four-part drama and they've already branded the series "heartbreaking".
Taking to Twitter, one person said: "Watching ANNE on @ITV absolutely heartbreaking and gut-wrenching what these poor families had to deal with, can't even imagine how they felt".
Another viewer tweeted: "Watching #Anne on ITV, absolutely heartbreaking. Would recommend people watch it though to see what the victims families were going through."
Similarly, a third person gave another emotional review on social media, writing: "Absolutely heartbreaking watching #Anne on ITV Thinking of the families of those who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster."
And a fourth viewer shared: "#Anne on ITV is so heartbreaking and harrowing. Brilliant portrayal by Maxine Peake and only one episode in."
Anne continues at 9pm on ITV on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All episodes are available on the ITV Hub.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: TV And Film, ITV
Gregory Robinson