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

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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.

Court in the act!

This long running series was of course set in and around a London court. Over three episodes which were transmitted during the week, viewers could follow the progression of a case, and marvel at the cross-examination of witnesses and defendants. It featured many actors who were unknown at the time, and have become household names, such as Ben Kingsley.

I remember one case in particular, called 'Sugar and Spice', which involved two friends, a posh public school girl and a spiky-haired punk girl, who were both accused of mugging a builder in the street. As in a real-life courtroom, the defendants' backgrounds and upbringing were brought before the jury. Viewers automatically assumed that the punk was the initiator of the attack, and had coerced her apparently meek friend into the crime. But it turned out that the meek shy posh girl was an absolute shrew (Hah!), after one lawyer successfully made her get angry and incriminate herself, and had been the instigator of the mugging.

Excellent!