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Thoroughly enjoyed this exciting series. Outstanding cast and great storyline filmed in and around Bristol - which is a nice change.

The ending is somewhat of a surprise and open to interpretation but there's nothing wrong with that. Well worth watching and on a par with series such as Broadchurch and Liar imo.

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.

Very well made and superbly acted. Held my attention from start to finish. OK the story sometimes seemed a bit too complex and lacking credibility but I was easily able to suspend disbelief. All the lead characters were on top form, and the flash backs were handled well. I felt that five episodes was just about right.

Recommended viewing.

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.

It seems that almost every high-profile crime-drama from the BBC has to feature the tag-line "from the makers of 'Line Of Duty'" as if to guarantee by association the quality of the new series, which given the recent falling-off in quality of the corporation's major cash-cow, starts to have a somewhat dubious ring to it.

I'm happy to say though that this time, this five-parter did live up far more to the hype. Tense, exciting and intriguing, it kept my wife and I pretty much on tenterhooks throughout as we followed literally the trials and tribulations of the two young rich and privileged, to coin a phrase 24 hour party people accused of murdering a fellow college student after attending a party where they both get out-of-their-faces on drink and drugs and where the victim, from a completely different, lower social-class is coincidentally present acting as a waitress. Both the accused have lofty connections, one the deep, introverted, doe-eyed, lap-dog son of a female government minister and the other the reckless, insolent, pouting wild-child daughter of a prominent business entrepreneur. The young girl who is murdered, by contrast, is the daughter of her workaday, single-parent mum.

Culminating in a gripping courtroom trial, the title of the piece informs us that this is as much about trial-by-media in the modern-age as it is about natural justice and heaven knows there have been enough cases involving high-profile personalities and their offspring going back all the way to the children of Hollywood stars like Lana Turner and Marlon Brando, inevitably taking in the likes of O. J. and Amanda Knox along the way, up to the present day.

As is usual in double-trials of this type, the jury is asked to consider whether none, one or both the accused parties are guilty and we frequently see the legal team of the one trying to pass the blame onto the other, making it difficult for jurors to apportion blame in a tactic which at its most successful obtains a double-acquittal. Although both the accused naturally have access to high-powered, cost-no-object legal teams, it's fair to say the programme concentrates far more on the charismatic young girl Talitha, played by Celine Buckens than on Joseph Payne's doleful character Dhillon Harwood. Perhaps this skewered viewpoint upsets somewhat the balance of the piece, but there's no question that Buckens grabs the spotlight with both hands with an edgy, dynamic, seductive performance which immediately draws the viewer in. Unlike Paine's meek character, you never doubt for an instant that of the two she would be the one more capable of committing the crime but that of course doesn't mean she actually did it.

Her rich if distant daddy wants to employ his own-choice well-practiced legal team but instead is won over by the diligence and integrity of the initial appointee circuit solicitor, played by Tracey Ifeachor. She's rather unnecessarily given a back story which shows her having once been a high-flier herself in court circles as well as having a past romantic liaison with one of the police detectives determined to nail both the youngsters for the crime. As the plot unwinds in flashback, it involves identifiable modern themes of trial-by-media, students, especially females, resorting to sex-work to supplement their life-styles, stalking, drink and drug excess if not abuse as well as the more traditional ones showcasing the difference attitudes between rich and poor, old and young and even parent and child.

I was satisfied by the relatively clear-cut ending after the engrossing murder trial had played out. There was no Morse-like surprise ending with a convoluted out-of-left-field explanation of events. A young girl loses her life, the only two people who could have committed the crime are on trial and clearly one or both of them is responsible and no matter what we the viewer may think of the outcome, justice is seen to be done even as we appreciate that only the two in the dock know the truth about what really happened the night the young girl was killed. There's a cheeky postscript which plays with the audience's expectations and threatens to pull it all back down into cliché but which skirts the issue impishly, skilfully and convincingly, all in the wink of an eye.

Miss Buckens, I have to say, was electric as the "It Girl" whose world is turned upside down but Payne is almost as good as her doting co-accused, while Ifeachor as Talitha's steely solicitor and James Frain as the girl's high-powered but ultimately powerless dad deliver high quality performances in support.

Altogether, a very satisfying, credible and satisfying production, far better than the most recent series of its much vaunted progenitor.

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.

Having high expectations for this drama, I was disappointed with the mostly two dimensional characters. All rich people are bad, dodgy police etc. There were some performances worth mentioning. Celine Buckens and Tracy Ifeachor were watchable. Otherwise a fairly plodding affair.

Very clever writing and superb acting gets you rooting for the most unlikeable character by the end. A smirk has rarely been so annoying! Tracy Ilfeachor is absolutely mesmerising as the solicitor. Loved it!

It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's amazing. Without much expectation, you start watching "Showtrial" - one of those countless legal dramas the TV schedule is so chock-a-block full of.

Nothing new here, you think? We've been here many times before, right? But after a few minutes, you realize that this is, in fact, something new. Something better.

The story is engaging, and for once you're actually interested in what happens to the people involved. In addition, there's a group of very competent actors to handle the material. Down to the smallest of bit roles. Bravo!

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.

This review is about Series 1.

I almost missed watching this phenomenal crime-suspense-thriller-courtroom-drama due to some of the lukewarm reviews.

Each and every aspect of the making of the drama is classy.

Celine Buckens' acting was mesmerising - the role she played made the viewers loathe her initially and adore & sympathise with her later. She captivated the viewers with her extraordinary performance! Very well written character!

Tracy Ifeachor had also given a captivating performance.

Direction, dialogues, music, cinematography etc. Stand out. Suspense was sustained till the very last frame of the series. It's definitely worth the time.

This review is about Series 1.

She's so good and the way she dives into the characters makes it brilliant , won't say much lest I spoil it for someone but a fast paced thriller, saw it in one shot.

... in a production made up of exceptionally-outstanding-performances across the board ... Celine Buckens a name which many are not that familiar stands-out-brilliantly ... watch this exceptional UK-crime-drama & u'll remember her w/o question ... acting for a decade 1st in Spielberg's 'War-Horse'.. now 25yo w-a lifetime-of-great-acting sure to be ahead of her.

After watching all five episodes of "Showtrial", I was left underwhelmed. None of the characters was attractive - not that I expected them to have the glamorous good looks of actors in American crime dramas, but in that other series filmed in Brighton, "Grace", there are several with some appeal.

From admiring Michael Socha's acting in the first episodes, I became irritated with his constant agitated facial contortions - and in one scene Adheel Akhtar started doing them too, and there they were both of them rolling their heads in anguish at each other.

And I was not convinced by the motivations for Socha's actions - and his reactions to the situation he found himself in.

I was puzzled by the significance of the cycle pedal having to be replaced; the impact that had caused it to become detached would have damaged the crank, making it impossible to fit a new pedal in a way that would not have been obvious even from a cursory examination.

And - dare I say it? - there was an over-representation of ethnic minorities.

My only negative would be the title itself which I wouldn't click on on a Netflix homescreen. Thank God for the recommendation from a friend!

Showtrial blew me away. The highlight being Celine Buckens whose performance of Talitha was utterly brilliant. Showtrial is carefully plotted, well paced and its characters masterfully designed around the complexities of social hierachies. I loved how the rich and powerful are portrayed three dimensionally and how the theme of inverted snobbery is poignantly exposed.

Above all, highly entertaining with an excruciating dose of mystery applied throughout. A masterpiece!!

For the love of gawd actors please shave off your shaggy, grey, unkempt, bushy beards. It's off-putting watching on our large screens in glorious HD what looks like bushy pu-bes on faces. They cover half your face anyway, what's the point as an actor.

Apart from that this was OK. I'm kind of tired of UK dramas where the protagonist, whether a detective or in this case a lawyer has a difficult home life and almost always a missing spouse and a cranky kid.

I didn't watch the first series as the brat in the first episode drove me mad so I watched second series instead. Quite a few familiar faces in this - they definitely assembled an interesting cast.

Having known that the writers (or some) that wrote Vigil (which was interesting and suspenseful) wrote this, I was intrigued.

I watched all the episodes and hoped for more..but it fell a little flat, with some writing that did not really allow for much depth.

As many have mentioned, there are plenty of unlikeable characters (most of which are supposed to be), yet most characters play their parts, with a few good moments here and there. And yes, there are many factual inaccuracies when it comes to the trial..but is TV after all.

Overall, this one didn't hit the mark.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the acting and plot are at a high standard, making for a believable and gripping drama series. There are interesting side stories, often red herrings to the main plot - but you don't know that at the time. My only reservation is that this being a BBC drama, it wasn't too hard to guess the trajectory of the case and who the culprits might be. The Beebs 'usual suspects'. That slightly devalued the twists and turns in the plot for me.