I usually don't think much of Sunday evening dramas, but the BBC have a potential corker here. Garrow's Law could grow into a great drama. It's set in the 18th century legal world of the criminal courts of the Old Bailey and follows a young barrister called (yes, you guessed it) William Garrow.
Garrow is a bit of loud-mouthed arrogant wannabe world-changer, but with enough wit and intelligence to keep him charming and passionate rather than naive and irritating. The first episode had him taking on his first couple of cases. I won't spoil the plotline, but it's enough to say that the stories were effective and just complex enough to be intriguing without requiring you to pay too much attention, letting you enjoy the ride of the courtroom antics.
William Garrow actually existed, though if you haven't heard of him, I wouldn't google him or one guesses future episodes might be spoiled, assuming the series gets a good run. Also, the cases in the show are "based" (how much, who knows...) on real trials in the Old Bailey, which adds a fair bit to the enjoyment of the series.
The setting is wonderfully depicted with the usual BBC attention to period detail and there's a good cast too. The lovely Lyndsey Marshal as Lady Sarah is clearly being set up as an illicit love interest; and the reliable Alun Armstrong does a great character turn as Garrow's solicitor and mentor. But I also liked the smaller roles by the judge and the prosecuting barrister who through inflection and tone of voice deftly managed to turn potentially unlikable characters into quite charming caricatures of an unfair legal system.
Finally, anyone fleetingly familiar with 18th century art (and I don't claim more than fleeting familiarity) will also get a kick out of the series, because I have a feeling that several scenes had quite deliberate recreations or at least reimagining of several paintings of that era. In particular, there's a scene of the barristers hanging around the Old Bailey, waiting to get their briefs, which seemed a direct recreation of a painting, though I forget the name of the artist.
If you're in the UK, I recommend catching it on iPlayer. If you're outside the UK, well, maybe you'll find another way to watch!
Garrow is a bit of loud-mouthed arrogant wannabe world-changer, but with enough wit and intelligence to keep him charming and passionate rather than naive and irritating. The first episode had him taking on his first couple of cases. I won't spoil the plotline, but it's enough to say that the stories were effective and just complex enough to be intriguing without requiring you to pay too much attention, letting you enjoy the ride of the courtroom antics.
William Garrow actually existed, though if you haven't heard of him, I wouldn't google him or one guesses future episodes might be spoiled, assuming the series gets a good run. Also, the cases in the show are "based" (how much, who knows...) on real trials in the Old Bailey, which adds a fair bit to the enjoyment of the series.
The setting is wonderfully depicted with the usual BBC attention to period detail and there's a good cast too. The lovely Lyndsey Marshal as Lady Sarah is clearly being set up as an illicit love interest; and the reliable Alun Armstrong does a great character turn as Garrow's solicitor and mentor. But I also liked the smaller roles by the judge and the prosecuting barrister who through inflection and tone of voice deftly managed to turn potentially unlikable characters into quite charming caricatures of an unfair legal system.
Finally, anyone fleetingly familiar with 18th century art (and I don't claim more than fleeting familiarity) will also get a kick out of the series, because I have a feeling that several scenes had quite deliberate recreations or at least reimagining of several paintings of that era. In particular, there's a scene of the barristers hanging around the Old Bailey, waiting to get their briefs, which seemed a direct recreation of a painting, though I forget the name of the artist.
If you're in the UK, I recommend catching it on iPlayer. If you're outside the UK, well, maybe you'll find another way to watch!