Showtrial

Another British crime drama - as we know, these sorts of shows are a dime a dozen across U. K television, from the good, the bad to the ugly. For me, this was definitely in the 'good' bracket and sits on the higher end in terms of quality - it had me invested and engaged throughout.

To garner my attention, there has to be good characters, good writing, good shots and eye-catching scenery - this show ticked all the boxes. The main character (one of the accused) played by Celine Buckens was absolutely fascinating in her role - portraying the full spectrum of traits from nasty, to annoying, to funny, to vulnerable, to frail. She definitely takes you on a journey as a viewer. The main lawyer, played by Tracy Ifeachor, was also good in her role too and was very convincing.

As this is a BBC production that was made in 2021, I was expecting to have lots of political cringe moments thrown in but this show is 'mostly' free of them - I say mostly, as there are tiny bits now and again but it's marginal and definitely not overbearing. The other thing I liked, which I was quite surprised about, is that there wasn't a romantic subplot. Time and time again, most shows, of all genres, seem to 'have to' include the cheesy love plot angle amongst the drama for balance - not in this show. Very refreshing to see a crime drama that is brave enough to just stick to the topic at hand, which was the crime and case, without having to veer off into other directions.

My only criticism is that maybe some of what happens could be deemed a bit far fetched, in terms of the way a case is built and run - some of the court scenes seemed a bit dramatised for effect but it didn't bother me at all. This was entertainment and I wasn't looking to pick it apart in that manner (although I'm sure others might).

The ending for me was satisfactory, with the result I wanted and I had no regrets about investing the time to get there - which is why this gets a high (and generous) score of an 8/10 from me.

I really enjoyed the 5 episodes of this mini series. With the glut of these series currently deluging tv this stood out from the dross.

I won't say however that it was perfect and was somewhat disappointed with the ending (don't worry, no spoilers).

Worth a watch.

What has happened to student Hannah, young working class girl, who's vanished on the night of the student ball.

It's very much a slow burner, that ignites in the final episode. It's a little slow to begin, bur it gets better as it develops, the story unravels well, and you get to learn more about each of the characters.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this was solely a courtroom set drama, it's of course there, but it shows the whole process of the conviction, interestingly it shows the involvement of The CPS.

The acting is first class, every person plays their part, but I must mention Celine Buckens, who was the standout for me as Talitha, a character instantly loathed, but grew to sympathise with, that's down to her talents.

The right result? Not sure.

Worth your time, 8/10.

The acting in this drama is exceptional throughout from every member of the cast. Once I dropped in I had to see it to it's conclusion. The ending I would like explained but to date I can no one that has tried.

Privileged teenager Talitha improbably finds herself on trial for murder when a fellow student disappears.

The setup was odd and didn't introduce us properly to the missing girl. Instead we had a dislikeable protagonist, a dislikeable father and a stroppy detective.

I didn't find the characters or their behaviour convincing, the dialogue of the duty solicitor, the DI and Talitha was clunky and unbelievable and the crooked property developer father is a tired trope now.

Production values were decent and the direction mostly ok, a nice soundtrack, but a few curiously photographed scenes were distracting. Plot was very creaky.

It seems to be posing the question does money and privilege buy you better outcomes in our judicial system? But we don't need a five hour drama to know the answer to that one. Disappointing all round for me.