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64-498: Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One . It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Mr Justice Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills QC , frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode

128-458: A common theme presented is the difficulty of defending clients known or believed to be guilty. Finally, many legal dramas present themes that reflect politicized issues. In the 1960 film, Inherit the Wind , the politicized issue portrayed was the legality of a Tennessee statute that made it unlawful to teach the theory of evolution in a public school. As laws and public policy opinions change, so do

192-576: A corrupt British law enforcement and legal system . The series was highly controversial upon its release due to its depiction of corrupt British law enforcement and legal systems . There was such an outcry regarding the series in the British press that the BBC was prevented from trying to sell the series abroad. John Cooper, QC, writing in The Times in 2018, described the series as 'seismic', saying that 'at

256-434: A courtroom scene where violence occurs in retrieving the confession of a client and the difficulty to obtain the truth. As a film review reveals, flashbacks are used as a key film technique to craft outrage. The courtroom scenes are considered suspenseful and the setting of the 1940s shows a stage where people threw a facade with fake costumes and bright lights. Racism is exposed as a critical social justice issue explored where

320-577: A crime they did not commit. At times, stories may involve the moral implications of police misconduct , such as placing or tampering with evidence , such as in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father . More often, legal dramas focus on the attorneys' point of view when faced with these difficulties. For instance, in The Practice , a television legal drama series revolving around a firm of criminal defense attorneys,

384-632: A federal court judge in Washington, D.C. who would preside over terrorism and civil rights cases. There have been no further developments since the announcement was made in 2004. Judge John Deed presents a fictionalised version of the English legal system. The British Film Institute 's Screenonline notes that "Almost every week, Deed is seen presiding over cases being prosecuted by his ex-wife or defended by his on-off girlfriend (with occasionally help from his daughter)", highlighting how unlikely it would be for

448-473: A law student but later progresses to the courts; Deed's police friend, deputy assistant commissioner Row Colemore (played by Christopher Cazenove ); and his clerk, Rita "Coop" Cooper (played by Barbara Thorn ), who is often on hand to temper some of his more radical ideas. Rita "Coop" was involved in many scenes of the show and was shown frequently in Judge John Deed advertisements. The first three series of

512-596: A number of legal drama films including, 12 Angry Men (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), I Want to Live! (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Young Philadelphians (1959), Compulsion (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Arguably, 12 Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird stand as the cornerstones of early legal dramas, garnering extensive acclaim, recognition, and awards. Despite underwhelming box office performance, 12 Angry Men

576-535: A real judge to have so many conflicts of interest in his court. It also notes that Deed's faults, such as his affairs with his therapist and with Francesca Rochester, prevent him from being "a completely idealised heroic figure", and the fact that because all of his family and friends practise law, he is firmly entrenched in the legal system that he is constantly fighting against. Deed has been accused of hypocrisy, particularly for using his connections to bail Charlie after she destroyed GM crops in " Exacting Justice ". There

640-412: A sabbatical" until the formula of the series was changed, implying that its future lay in the multi-part format introduced in series six. In April 2009, Shaw told BBC Breakfast that the series had been officially cancelled by the BBC because of financial cutbacks across the corporation. The six years the series was broadcast makes it the longest-running BBC legal drama. Judge John Deed regularly formed

704-451: A trial; a gambit that might have worked had Deed not cunningly threatened to send him to Broadmoor , at which point the man stood up and started protesting vociferously". The series is frequently lampooned for its dialogue and unlikely scenarios. Andy Hamilton called the dialogue "the funniest on TV" and David Mitchell selected it as his "TV hell" in the series TV Heaven, Telly Hell . Deed's " swashbuckling " persona has been satirised on

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768-518: A viewer about one episode claiming biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine , leading the BBC to unilaterally ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series (with the exception of the two banned episodes from Series Five) have been released on DVD in the UK. Sir John Deed (played by Martin Shaw ) is a recently appointed High Court judge who actively seeks justice in the cases before him, while at

832-410: A week, with the first part of the story on Tuesday nights and concluding the following Thursday. This series was also the first to be simulcast on BBC HD . Occasionally, due to a clash with regional programming, it has aired at different times on BBC One Scotland ; series two was delayed for sometimes over a week while series three began a half-hour earlier. Series five had a six-day delay. Ratings for

896-620: Is a British television crime drama series, comprising four connected plays written by G. F. Newman and directed by Les Blair , which was first broadcast on 6 April 1978 on BBC Two . Each of the four stories within the series is told from a different perspective, including that of the Detective, the Villain, the Brief and the Prisoner. The series was highly controversial upon its release due to its depiction of

960-483: Is a belief in some legal circles that, although Judge John Deed is arguably the most unrealistic of contemporary legal dramas, viewers see Deed as an aspirational character taking on a corrupt establishment. Despite being picked apart by legal professionals, the cast and Newman were invited to the annual dinner of the Association of Women Barristers in 2006 as part of a drive to raise the profile and attract new members to

1024-482: Is a fictional biographic film about Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the legal actions he faced as a result of providing euthanasia services to terminal patients. Racial injustice remains a common theme from as far back as To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962 to the 2017 film Marshall . Legal drama in American film has an extensive history stemming from as early as the 1908 film, Falsely Accused! The 1950s and 1960s presented

1088-408: Is different from, yet paradoxically similar to his previous work, such as his 1970s series Law and Order , which was heavily critical of the police, with Judge John Deed being heavily critical of the corrupt Establishment). Newman wrote the series intending to give the audience an exploration of the law without patronising them or getting caught up in an explanation of legal proceedings. A full series

1152-439: Is made to Deed and Jo's relationship, with Lawson writing that Deed "is desperate to conduct his own forensic investigation of the body fluids of the attractive defence QC". Writing on the programme's accessibility to an audience, Nancy Banks-Smith of The Guardian calls it "talkative in the way television plays used to be when they had something to say. But it is notable that, in a profession famous for obfuscation, Deed uses only

1216-475: Is under threat by the complex case, creating a series of action and courtroom battles. The problems that characters face are evident within reviews of films such as The Judge , where family dynamics strain after a lawyer returns home for his mother's funeral. Reviews from the New York Times comment on the film's transformation into a crime story, characteristic of the legal thriller. The film itself unfolds

1280-638: The International Criminal Court building in The Hague ) for " War Crimes " (2007). The robes worn by Deed in the sixth series were authentic ones from Stanley Ley, a specialist legal outfitters, and cost £7,600. Theme music was composed for the series by Debbie Wiseman . The music, entitled "Judge John Deed", was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and is described as a "stunning march-like theme that echoed throughout each of

1344-534: The 2006 Screen Nation Awards, though lost to an episode of Doctors . The first series was released as a 3-disc set on 8 May 2006 and the second series as a 2-disc set on 12 February 2007. The third and fourth series were released on 14 January 2008 in a 5-disc set. All the DVDs were published by 2 Entertain Video. A series 5 DVD was released on 8 February 2010, omitting the controversial fifth and sixth episodes. A Series 6 DVD

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1408-568: The Arts Desk in May 2018 'Law and Order more than earns this 40th-anniversary trip down memory's stinking back alley'. The series was discussed on BBC Radio 4 's programme Thinking Allowed on 23 May 2018, with the host Laurie Taylor talking to criminologist Tim Newburn and Charlotte Brunsden, Professor of Film & Television Studies at the University of Warwick, along with the author, to engage with

1472-647: The Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD, later Department of Constitutional Affairs ) Sir Ian Rochester (played by Simon Chandler ); and later the Home Secretary Neil Haughton MP (played by Nick Reding and later Aneirin Hughes ). Other recurring characters include Deed's rebellious, animal rights activist daughter Charlie (played by Louisa Clein ), who is initially

1536-401: The actual practice of law, legal dramas may also misrepresent the character of lawyers in general. The lawyers in question fall under different variations, the character representations include the zealous heroic lawyers fighting to save their client's case, or putting criminals in jail, another is the sleazy distrustful attorney performing morally questionable acts to win the case, another may be

1600-452: The backbone of the BBC One winter schedule. The pilot and first series were broadcast on Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m., with the second, third and fourth series moving to Thursday evenings (8:30 p.m. for the first two and 8 p.m. for the latter, though one episode in series three was postponed for over a month). The fifth series moved to Friday nights, and the sixth was shown two nights

1664-412: The challenging case of a woman charged with murdering her husband. The film features elements of a conventional courtroom drama, such as the heroic lawyer, shady characters, and a law firm setting. Within the film, there are plot twist characteristics of the legal thriller genre. Furthermore, the film Law has ample court scenes and features a character taking on the fight for justice. The film defies

1728-399: The characteristics of the legal thriller genre through a powerhouse courtroom drama and focusing on racial justice. The power divide between two opposing sides is intended to shape transformative victory, as audiences can learn about diversity. A Fall from Grace also features the challenge often taken by lawyers in legal thriller films. For example, a young public defender has to handle

1792-487: The conflicted lawyer who is forced into a moral dilemma of having to defend a guilty client. These representations are not reflective of how lawyers act in real life as their job is to remain neutral to the law and ensure every person gets a fair and equal trial, regardless of their guilt. Speaking at a screening of 12 Angry Men during the 2010 Fordham University Law School Film festival, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that seeing 12 Angry Men while she

1856-409: The defense lawyer has to switch sides to defend a poisoned community. He risks his future, community, and life by dealing with the case, characteristic of the legal thriller. By combining the elements of film and law, the relationship becomes central to the audience. Legal thriller films can impact the audience through film techniques, images, symbols, and social functions. The film Mangrove shows

1920-550: The film such as entering a similar knife into the proceeding; performing outside research into the case matter in the first place; and ultimately the jury as a whole making broad, wide-ranging assumptions far beyond the scope of reasonable doubt would not be allowed in a real-life jury situation, and would in fact have yielded a mistrial (assuming, of course, that applicable law permitted the content of jury deliberations to be revealed). Law %26 Order (UK TV series) Law & Order (often referred to as Law and Order )

1984-537: The greatest films, including ranking as the best courtroom drama, and selected for preservation United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Other countries also premiered legal dramas or courtrooms dramas in the early 1900s, such as the French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Other legal drama films have not focused on even

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2048-421: The group. The series' creative interpretation of the law has led to a misconception by the public of what real law is like ( cf . CSI effect ); in the second Damilola Taylor trial, the presiding judge warned the jury that if they copied Deed's actions in the then-recent episode " One Angry Man " (2006), in which Deed investigated a case and interviewed witnesses while sitting on a jury, they would "simply derail

2112-435: The inequalities and injustices prevalent through Britain's Caribbean history. Steve McQueen was the first black director of an Academy winning best picture with 12 Years a Slave . The five-part anthology, featuring Mangrove as the first visualizes courtroom drama and heroism, characterizing the legal thriller genre. McQueen made his film resemble a landmark of the civil rights trial against black activists. The film uses

2176-552: The legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, because conflict between parties make for an interesting story, legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court. Trials in legal dramas are often shown to be more emphatic by disregarding actual rules in trials that prevent prejudicing defendants from juries. Besides

2240-423: The legal thriller's ideal courtroom drama style. The film takes place in what is deemed as a "nostalgia-tinged town". Further films such as The Lincoln Lawyer have also met similar reviews from Roger Ebert, commenting on the love of three elements in the film: courtroom scene, old cars, and tangled criminals. The 2019 film, Dark Waters raises an ethical dilemma of lawyers often choosing sides within films, as

2304-599: The most pellucid English". Banks-Smith has also drawn attention to the masculine skew the programme has; "Judge John Deed […] is catnip to the ladies. These are chappishly called Georgie, Charlie, Jo and—when Rita defies abbreviation—Coop". Stephen Roach received the Award of Merit at the 2005 Guild of Television Cameramen Awards for his work on the series. The series was nominated in the Diversity in Drama Production category at

2368-404: The most popular legal drama during the 2010s. Better Call Saul also achieved popularity following its first season in 2015. Legal dramas are becoming more in demand from the public, more popular for many people to watch, and beginning to feature stronger female leads. It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about

2432-443: The practice of law, such as Paper Chase , a film presenting the difficulty and anxiety of entering law school. Legal thriller films provide introspection into the life of a lawyer and legal professionals. Within films, the central character is often engaged in professional work and experiences an obstacle that they have to overcome such as a client's case. The character confronts problems with their personal life and work, as it

2496-459: The programme have a self-contained structure, with a trial reaching its conclusion by the end of an episode. In later years, the series added a serialised format, with stories running over a number of episodes and a greater focus on the personal lives of characters other than Deed, with the main case concluding in each episode. Newman devised his new series to highlight what he believed to be an out-of-touch judiciary and show "solutions" (a style that

2560-406: The programme's "maverick judge" premise. Television pundits have criticised the writing of the programme; Robert Hanks of The Independent calls the scripts "often corny, even painfully so", using Monty Everard's line "You'll come to regret crossing swords with me, sir!" from " Health Hazard " (2003) as an example. Hanks also wrote about what he called "moral oversimplification" of the storylines;

2624-612: The programmes supplying pageantry to the Judge's sometimes-nefarious activities". It was released commercially on Wiseman's compilation album, Something Here , and as a single piece on online music retailers. From 2005 to 2007, television promotions for the series have been accompanied by the piano hook from " Sinnerman " by Nina Simone . 29 episodes were produced; the pilot, three series of four episodes, two series of six episodes and one series of two two-part serials. All episodes were written and produced, and occasionally directed, by Newman. At

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2688-455: The public's enjoyment of legal dramas occur because "stories about the legal system are laced with human vulnerability." Indeed, even though "there are no car chases [and]... [g]uns are never drawn", legal dramas retain strong followings because of their presentation of moral intrigue in a setting that actually reflects what occurs in the world. Legal dramas may present stories of the miscarriages of justice , such as persons wrongly convicted of

2752-513: The question of 'the extent to which... [the series] created a public and political debate which produced positive reform'. Among the series' successors was the BBC TV series Police . For the series' thirtieth anniversary in April 2008, it was released on a limited edition DVD via 2|Entertain. In April 2018, BBC Four announced that the series would be rebroadcast on television for the first time to mark

2816-430: The same episode featured "a wealthy and self-important businessman—who had already been banned from talking on a mobile phone while driving—ran over and killed a mother and her two small children while talking on his mobile phone to his mistress, to whom he was explaining that he had to take his wife to a function at—the icing on this shabby cake—Downing Street. He then legged it and subsequently faked mental illness to avoid

2880-860: The same time trying to rekindle an old romance with former pupil Jo Mills QC (played by Jenny Seagrove ), who regularly appears in his court. Deed is described by creator and writer G.F. Newman as a character who "speaks out against all the petty rules and bureaucracy that frustrates us all but that most of us don't speak out against". Because of Deed's unorthodox actions, he is often hampered in his pursuit of justice by several more conventional-minded characters, including his ex-wife, barrister Georgina "George" Channing QC (played by Caroline Langrishe ); her father Appeals Court Judge, Lord Justice (Sir Joseph) Channing (played by Sir Donald Sinden ), fellow High Court Judges Mr Justice (Sir Monty) Everard (played by Simon Ward ) and Mr Justice (Sir Michael) Nivan (spelt as Niven in later series credits - played by Trevor Bowen ),

2944-410: The series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury service. A complaint was made by

3008-400: The series peaked with its first episode at 9.1 million but it continued to regularly draw in around 6 million viewers for later episodes. The series has been shown internationally by, amongst others, Canvas (Belgium) , BBC Canada and BBC Prime . In 2004, Variety reported an American remake was set to be produced for NBC ; Michael Chernuchin was to produce the series, which would follow

3072-469: The series' fortieth anniversary. This statement was inaccurate, as a full repeat had previously been broadcast on BBC4 from 24 March to 14 April 2009 and it had also been repeated in March 1980. The 2018 repeats began at 10:00pm on Thursdays from 12 April 2018. It was further broadcast on 10 July 2024, preceded by G.F. Newman's reflections, explanation of what inspired him, and the responses of police officers at

3136-602: The show went on to provoke much hostility from many groups which it portrayed as corrupt or negligent. Sets were constructed on the soundstages at Bushey , Hertfordshire for the courtroom, Deed's chambers and the main characters' houses. Exterior court scenes were filmed at the Crown Court in Aylesbury . Location filming was also done at West Herts College for scenes in " My Daughter, Right or Wrong " (2006) and at various locations, including The Hague City Hall, (as film location for

3200-471: The sketch series Dead Ringers . Despite the criticism given to the programme, the series is praised as being at its best when tackling topical issues, such as reality television, human exposure to telephone masts and incestuous relationships. The production style also rates highly; writing in The Guardian , Mark Lawson called the pilot "glossier and more populist than Newman's earlier work". Wry reference

3264-499: The stereotypical expectations of women through featuring the main character as a woman who wants to speak openly about gang rape victimization. The recognition of injustice is another emerging aspect of legal thriller films. Marshall is another example of a legal thriller film, where the lawyer is feature as the main character, traveling the country on behalf of the NAACP to defend black men who are accused of crimes. The film features

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3328-490: The themes presented in legal dramas. The 1992 film A Few Good Men explored the psychology of superior orders , e.g. excusing criminal actions because they were only committed from 'following orders'. The film Philadelphia (1993) addressed homophobia , and the discrimination and public fear of HIV/AIDs carriers. In 1996, The People vs. Larry Flynt portrays the early years of Hustler Magazine and issues of obscenity and freedom of speech. You Don't Know Jack (2010)

3392-572: The time [the plays] provoked calls from MPs for Newman to be arrested for sedition and the summoning of the director-general of the BBC to the Home Office to explain himself.' A review by Matteo Sedazzari in May 2018 concluded: 'it's such a shame that the BBC seriously do not produce dramas like this anymore, thought-provoking, brutal and powerful', and Adam Sweeting in The Spectator described it as 'compellingly plausible'. Jasper Rees wrote for

3456-449: The time the sixth series concluded, the future of the series was in doubt; the BBC had announced an intention to use Martin Shaw in a range of new projects and it was apparent that the one-off adaption of Alan Hunter 's Inspector Gently novels (starring Shaw as the eponymous inspector) would be commissioned for a full series . Jenny Seagrove clarified the situation, stating that the producers wanted to continue but she and Shaw were "taking

3520-474: The time. In parallel, the 'Law & Order' series of books was a trilogy of works written by Newman, first published by Sphere in 1977 and then reprinted in Sphere Paperbacks in 1978. The trilogy consists of 'A Detective's Tale', ISBN   9780722163498 , 'A Villain's Tale', ISBN   978-0722163634 , and 'A Prisoner's Tale', ISBN   978-0722163641 . An omnibus edition including all three

3584-680: The truth demands a voice. The following table summarises legal thriller films: Early American television programs considered legal dramas include Perry Mason , The Defenders , Judd, for the Defense , Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law , The Bold Ones: The Lawyers , Petrocelli , and Matlock . More recent examples of serious legal dramas are Murder One , The Practice , Law & Order , L.A. Law , The Good Wife and Pearson . The examples of legal comedy dramas are Ally McBeal and Boston Legal , both of which David E. Kelley created and produced, with Suits as one of

3648-552: The whole process". The 2006 series caused controversy for the misguided information presented in " Silent Killer " (2006), which suggested a link between TETRA radio emissions and motor neurone disease. Statements were released by the TETRA Industry Group and the MND Association , the latter emphasising that while there is some evidence to suggest a link, it is not a single contributory factor. " Heart of Darkness " (2006)

3712-464: Was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme ( Inspector George Gently ), and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The factual accuracy of

3776-452: Was commissioned before the pilot was broadcast. The series has been credited with renewing the " cop genre " by moving the story from a "maverick detective" to a high court judge, though as a comparison to Newman's previous work, a Guardian writer called it "rather soft" and doubted, from seeing the pilot, whether it would provoke questions in the House of Commons like Law and Order did, while

3840-506: Was criticised for portraying a causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism , and the BBC received complaints on the matter. The Editorial Complaints Unit ruled that the episode had contravened the BBC's "obligation of due impartiality on matters of public controversy" and that the episode would not be repeated in its original form. The episode was cited in From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel , an internal BBC report on impartiality in its output that

3904-432: Was in college influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. She was particularly inspired by immigrant Juror 11's monologue on his reverence for the American justice system. She also told the audience of law students that, as a lower-court judge, she would sometimes instruct juries to not follow the film's example, because most of the jurors' conclusions are based on speculation, not fact. Sotomayor noted that events from

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3968-493: Was nominated in three different categories at the 30th Academy Awards and appears on half of the AFI 100 Years... series lists of films, which celebrate the greatest films in American cinema. Likewise, To Kill a Mockingbird received even more acclaim, garnering three academy awards out of eight total nominations at the 35th Academy Awards , appears on seven of the AFI's ten lists celebrating

4032-563: Was published in June 2007, a section of which highlighted that the name of the Westwake character bore more than a passing resemblance to that of Dr Andrew Wakefield . "It would be all right if there was a programme about a maverick judge and how awful that is and why he's a twat and it shouldn't be allowed. But it's not about that, it's about how brilliant he is and how all judges, by implication, should be like that." David Mitchell 's rant about

4096-415: Was released on 21 February 2011, which contained two double length episodes. The pilot and first series received a North American release on 9 March 2010. Legal drama Legal dramas typically portray moral dilemmas that occur with the practice of the law or participating in the justice system, many of which mirrors dilemmas in real life. The American Bar Association Journal has interpreted

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