"Crown Court" (1972) TV series 1972-1984

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Writer:

John Foster (9 episodes)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | unknown

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Courtroom drama - each case takes three episodes. At the end of the third episode a jury of "ordinary people" comes to a verdict on the evidence presented.

Cast

Peter Wheeler	...	Court Reporter / ... (239 episodes, 1972-1984)
Joseph Berry	...	Court Usher / ... (129 episodes, 1972-1979)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Granada Television

Trivia:

The jury was composed of ordinary lay people (not actors) chosen at random from the electoral roll of Manchester where the Granada TV studios were located. Only the jury foreman was an actor - this was needed to comply with Equity rules on speaking parts only being given to Equity members. All the episodes of a given case were recorded on the same day and the jury was given thirty minutes to reach its verdict, based on the evidence that it had heard. For many stories, two endings were scripted and rehearsed to match whichever verdict (guilty or not guilty) the jury happened to return.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Screenwipe: (#3.3)" (2007)

'when our cameras return ...'

'Crown Court' was superior daytime television throughout the 1970s, which is when I first saw it as a child, fascinated by the whole process and mesmerised by the cases and the acting.

Now rediscovering it thirty years on, it still feels relevant, and although some stories are contrived and rather simplistic, there are excellent cast appearances from the likes of Richard Wilson, John Barron, William Mervyn, Maureen Lipman, Mervyn Johns, TP McKenna, Ronald Lewis, Graham Crowden, and many more. The cases, running over three half-hour episodes, with a verdict 'from members of the public serving as a jury', keep the tension running as well as being easy enough to drop in and out of.

Quality drama then, sometimes with a touch of humour, especially from the actors playing the judges and prosecuting and defence counsels, bickering over points of court protocol. Entertainment without being dumbed down, and well worth watching even after all these years.