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Defending the Guilty is a new BBC courtroom sitcom which saw a pilot episode produced last year, but this completely passed me by. Did I miss a gem?
The first episode in this six-part series is that very same pilot, so you can find out for yourself…
Will Sharpe is idealistic young criminal barrister Will (lots of thought given to his character’s name), while Katherine Parkinson plays Katherine Parkinson (yes, she never changes) and her character is his world-weary superior, Caroline.
There’s some brief drama moments in there, usually with Ms Parkinson being sarcastic – and so nothing to write home about, but as for any comedy, I’m still waiting to laugh.
Plus, neither Will, nor any of the young lawyers, are likeable, and the only part I really enjoyed was some of the background music, such as The Drums’ Let’s Go Surfing, and Metronomy’s The Look, but I can listen to those any time, and you can hear them down below.
The sitcom also, poinltessly, has opted for an arty-farty 2.35:1 cinemascope-style widescreen ratio. No idea why.
Defending The Guilty begins Tuesday on BBC2 at 10.00pm. It isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. If you missed it, you can watch the each episode on the BBC iPlayer for 30 days after transmission.
One thing that is avaiable now is the book upon which this series is based.
Episode 1 Score: 0/10
Director: Tom George
Producer: Georgie Fallon
Adaptation: Kieron Quirke
Based on the novel by: Alex McBride
Cast:
Will: Will Sharpe
Caroline: Katherine Parkinson
Danielle: Gwyneth Keyworth
Ashley: Prasanna Puwanarajah
Liam: Hugh Coles
Pia: Hanako Footman
Nessa: Claudia Jessie
Selina: Sofia Barclay
Mike: Ian Burfield
Judge: Georgie Glen
Jake: Shanu Hazzan
Gracie: Grace Hogg-Robinson
Lorraine: Cally Lawrence
Bacca: Nneka Okoye
D Soulsby: Marcus Onilude
Herself: Kirsty Wark
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.