defending the guilty
defending the guilty
Tuesdays at 10pm on BBC Two
series 1
series 1
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Created by
Kieron Quirke and Alex McBride
Based on the book by
Alex McBride
Written by
Kieron Quirke
Episode 5 written by by
Kieron Quirke and Alex McBride
Directed by
Jim Field Smith (Episode 1) and Tom George (Episodes 2-6)
Producer
Georgie Fallon
Co-Executive Producer
Jim Field Smith
Executive Producers
Kenton Allen, Saurabh Kakkar, Kieron Quirke
Starring
Will Sharpe, Katherine Parkinson, Gwyneth Keyworth, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Hugh Coles, Hanako Footman and Mark Bonnar
Broadcaster
BBC Two
Episodes / Duration
6 x 30 mins
Transmission Date
17/09/2019
Defending The Guilty follows idealistic young pupil barrister Will Packham and his cynical boss Caroline as they navigate their way through the idiosyncrasies of the legal system. It’s bad enough having to deal with criminals, but when the overstretched crown prosecution service, harassed police force and the byzantine intricacies of British legal bureaucracy also conspire to trip you up, it’s hard to retain your sanity. And that’s without counting a barrister’s worst enemy: other barristers. Because when your reputation and salary depend on winning and winning alone, justice sometimes takes a back seat.
As a trainee angling for a permanent place in chambers, Will is in constant competition with his fellow pupils – entitled Liam, tough Welsh cookie Danielle and superbrain oddball Pia. Caroline, meanwhile, does battle with faux-woke Ashley and her charming, oily boss Miles. Between them they must deal with scissor-wielding clothes fetishists, a punchy poet, actors blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and a violent love triangle that threatens to spill out of control. Plus a host of hardened, deceitful crims who look as guilty as they almost certainly are, and whose innocence must be proved, whatever it takes. As Will journeys through his first six months with Caroline, will his idealism survive?
“Hilarious”
(The Observer)
“A corking comedy”
(The Guardian)
“Acute, deftly rendered and very, very funny”
(The Telegraph)
“Sharp stuff, emphatically brilliant”
(Daily Mail)