It's a hard accent to get down to a Tee

Sheridan's twang backed by hero she portrays

- BY MARK JEFFERIES Showbiz Editor

SHERIDAN Smith's dodgy Teesside accent in I Fought The Law has been defended by the woman she plays in the series.

Sheridan stars as Ann Ming, who campaigned to get the 800-year-old double jeopardy law axed after her daughter Julie Hogg's murder in 1989.

Her accent in the ITV drama, which launched last month, was blasted as "distracting" but Ann says it is extremely tough to carry off.

She said: "I think Teesside's a hard accent - it's harder than Geordie. So I think she did a good job.