Criminal Justice 

Series 1 follows Ben Coulter who is accused of committing a crime that he has no recollection of after a drunken and drug-filled night out. Series 2 follows Juliet through the criminal justice system after she stabs her abusive husband.

Stars:

Ben Whishaw, Maxine Peake, Bill Paterson

14 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ben Whishaw	...	Ben Coulter 5 episodes, 2008
Maxine Peake	...	Juliet Miller 5 episodes, 2009
Bill Paterson	...	Harry Box 5 episodes, 2008
Alice Sykes	...	Ella Miller 5 episodes, 2009
Con O'Neill	...	Stone / ... 5 episodes, 2008
Juliet Aubrey	...	Mary Coulter 5 episodes, 2008
Rupert Procter	...	Dominic Rose 5 episodes, 2009
Zoe Telford	...	Anna Klein 5 episodes, 2009
Joe Dixon	...	Robert Lloyd 5 episodes, 2008
David Westhead	...	Barry Coulter 5 episodes, 2008
Denis Lawson	...	DCI Bill Faber 5 episodes, 2009
Steven Mackintosh	...	DI Chris Sexton 5 episodes, 2009
Kate Hardie	...	DS Flo Sexton 5 episodes, 2009
Sophie Okonedo	...	Jack Woolf 5 episodes, 2009
Nadine Marshall	...	Norma Fredericks 5 episodes, 2009
Eddie Marsan	...	Saul 5 episodes, 2009
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Hooch 5 episodes, 2008
Pooky Quesnel	...	Alicia Rose / ... 5 episodes, 2009
Jaye Griffiths	...	Helen Marlowe 5 episodes, 2008
Ruth Negga	...	Melanie Lloyd / ... 5 episodes, 2008
David Harewood	...	Freddie Graham 4 episodes, 2008
Nicholas Farrell	...	Painter 4 episodes, 2008
Vineeta Rishi	...	Frances Kapoor / ... 4 episodes, 2008
John Hodgkinson	...	Rogers 4 episodes, 2008
Madeleine Rakic-Platt	...	Kate Rose 4 episodes, 2009
Ian Peck	...	Milroy 4 episodes, 2008
Sam Alexander	...	PC Jeary 4 episodes, 2008
Richenda Carey	...	Judge Ira 4 episodes, 2008
Johann Myers	...	Roland Roy 4 episodes, 2008
Darrell D'Silva	...	Quick 4 episodes, 2008
Craig Gazey	...	Flitcroft 4 episodes, 2008
Bradley Gardner	...	Bright 4 episodes, 2008
Daren Elliott Holmes	...	Man at Petrol Station / ... 4 episodes, 2008
Blondell Taylor	...	Court Clerk 4 episodes, 2008
Clara Onyemere	...	PO Jill Laidlaw 4 episodes, 2009
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Joe Miller 3 episodes, 2009
Ike Hamilton	...	PC Trussler 3 episodes, 2009
Warren Brown	...	PO Gibby 3 episodes, 2009
Adam Deacon	...	Drug Dealer 3 episodes, 2009
Garry Cooper	...	Ruddock 3 episodes, 2008
Michael Cochrane	...	Felix Crane 3 episodes, 2009
Guy Henry	...	Nick Holloway 3 episodes, 2009
Lindsay Duncan	...	Alison Slaughter 2 episodes, 2008
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	Simon Ticehurst / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Marie-France Alvarez	...	Carmen 2 episodes, 2009
Seroca Davis	...	Lizzie Smith 2 episodes, 2008
Ony Uhiara	...	Lola 2 episodes, 2009
David Annen	...	Hugo Curry 2 episodes, 2008
Alan McKenna	...	Desk Sergeant 2 episodes, 2009
Marsali Stewart	...	PO Sam Brewer 2 episodes, 2009
Hugh Hayes	...	Court Usher 2 episodes, 2009
Grant Russell	...	Dr Callaghan / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Tom Knight	...	Court Clerk 2 episodes, 2009
Jodie McNee	...	Angela 2 episodes, 2009
Dominic Letts	...	Charles Willis / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Keeley Forsyth	...	Jane Grady 2 episodes, 2009
Luke de Woolfson	...	Stuart Napier 2 episodes, 2008
Helen Griffin	...	Katherine 2 episodes, 2009
Christian Roe	...	John 2 episodes, 2009
Clare Burt	...	Nurse Hulme 2 episodes, 2008
Naomi Capron	...	Court Usher / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Toby Alexander	...	Joe / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Uriel Emil	...	Doctor 2 episodes, 2009
Davood Ghadami	...	Josh Hughes 2 episodes, 2009
Judy Norman	...	Hart 2 episodes, 2008
Daniel Betts	...	Prison Governor 2 episodes, 2009
Jake Curran	...	Bracewell 2 episodes, 2008
Helen Schlesinger	...	Gillian Kent 2 episodes, 2009

Storyline

Series 1 follows Ben Coulter who is accused of committing a crime that he has no recollection of after a drunken and drug-filled night out. Series 2 follows Juliet through the criminal justice system after she stabs her abusive husband.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | rear nudity | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

One man's journey through the criminal justice system of Britain.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Injustiça Criminal

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

300 min (5 parts) 205 min (2 parts) (2011) (season 1) 584 min (total run time)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Night of (2016) is an American remake of this series.

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Connections

Featured in Screenwipe: Review of the Year 2008 (2008)

User Reviews

excellent miniseries - this review is for Part 1

The reviews here are a bit confusing, as several of them seem to be reviewing Part 2, which in America, anyway, is not on Netflix as yet.

Part 1 concerns a young man, Ben Coulter (Ben Whishaw) who one night takes his dad's cab out in order to meet some friends. While the cab is stopped, a young woman named Melanie (Ruth Negga) gets in and wants to go to the seaside. Ben decides on a whim to take her. At the end of the evening, the two wind up at her place and have sex. The next morning, Ben wakes up in the kitchen. He goes upstairs, dresses, and tells Melanie he is going. Then he realizes she's dead and there's blood everywhere. Panicked, he rushes away, only to return to try to get rid of any sign that he was there. He's ultimately picked up, questioned, and later arrested for murder. Ben doesn't remember a darn thing about what happened.

This is a very good miniseries, a little too packed in the last episode, but an excellent indictment of not only the justice system but the prison system, as the frightened Ben endures abuse and bullying from seasoned prisoners. He soon learns that even the guards are run by one prisoner, Freddie Graham, a terrifying man who manages to get everyone in his debt and then forces payback.

Not that outside the prison, things are much better. Ben's father gets him high-prized solicitors who have no interest in Ben and just want to make a deal, and a barrister (Lindsay Duncan) who insists on a self-defense plea. Ben finally goes back to his original attorney, a public defender, a no-nonsense guy (Con O'Neill) who wants Ben to play the courtroom game but wants the truth as well.

Ben's plight and Whishaw's sensitive performance are more than enough to hold interest. What's best about Ben is how he matures from the first to the last episode. Fantastic work. There is one shot of him and Melanie, sitting on the other side of an amusement park, in the dark, looking at the brilliant lights from the rides, two young people, enjoying life with everything in front of them. It's quite sobering.

The rest of the acting is top-notch. Con O'Neill as Stone, the public defender, is wonderful as a streetwise solicitor with a husky voice and a big heart; Lindsay Duncan as a no-nonsense barrister who wants to cut to the chase; Pete Postlethwaite as Hooch, Ben's cell mate, a lifer who is there to protect Ben but has his own turmoil; and Bill Paterson as the gentle-speaking detective, Harry Box. That's only a few, but everyone is marvelous.

The last episode is almost done in shorthand, packing in a ton of information and referring to incidents rather than showing them. And you have to watch and listen closely, or you'll be asking 'what happened'. Pay close attention.