''Wing and a Prayer'' is a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

-nominated British television

legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...

series, written and created by Matthew Hall, first broadcast on Channel 5 on 22 September 1997. The series, produced by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

, was described as "an inside, behind-the-scenes look at the practice of law, and the lawyers whose lives are caught up in their work with each other".

Sean Arnold Sean Arnold (30 January 1941 – 15 April 2020) was an English actor. Early life Arnold was born in January 1941 in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England. Career Arnold is known for his roles as Mr. Llewelyn in ''Grange Hill'' in the 1970s and ...

starred as primary character Stephen Arlington, while Rita Wolf,

David Bark-Jones David Bark-Jones is an English actor. He has appeared in numerous film, theatre and TV productions. In 2010 he won Broadwayworld.com's Best Actor in a West End Play, for his portrayal of Richard Hannay in '' The 39 Steps''. In 2024, he appeared ...

Philip Martin Brown Philip Martin Brown (born 9 July 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his long-running portrayal of English teacher Grantly Budgen in the hit BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'', which he played from 2006 to 2013. He is ...

and George Irving are also credited amongst the principal cast members. A review of the series on ''

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

'' stated; "in the fine tradition of such American weeklies as ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' and ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

'', the attorneys herein played as hard as they worked, with sexual intrigues and one-upsmanship abounding." The first series was released on DVD in Australia on 5 June 2013.

Cast

as Stephen Arlington * Rita Wolf as Jasmin Jamal *

as Simon Hudson *

as John Daley * George Irving as Judge Michael Freeman *

Connie Hyde Connie Skov Hyde (born 15 November 1969) is an English actress. Hyde was born to an English father and Danish mother. She grew up in Haslingden in Rossendale, Lancashire. She is best known for playing PC Cathy Bradford in ''The Bill'' from ...

as Catherine Heywood * Kate Buffery as Amanda Dankwith * Mark Womack as Chris Merchant * William Ilkley as Kevin Granger * Dominic Mafham as Carl Hallam *

Maureen Beattie Maureen Jane Beattie (born 14 August 1953) is a Scottish actress known for her work on stage and screen. Early life Beattie was born in Bundoran, County Donegal on 14 August 1953, as the daughter of Scottish actor and comedian Johnny Beattie ...

as Anna Crozier *

Geoffrey McGivern Geoffrey M. McGivern is a British actor in film, television, radio and stage, as well as a comedian. He is best known for originating the role of Ford Prefect in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Career He played Ford Prefect in the ...

as Don Gittings

Episodes

Series 1 (1997)

Series 2 (1999)

* Broadcast of Series 2 was switched from 8pm on Wednesdays to Sundays mid-way through the series.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0250176, title=Wing and a Prayer
Wing and a Prayer at BFI Collections
1997 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series 1990s British crime television series 1990s British legal television series British English-language television shows Channel 5 (British TV channel) television dramas Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television Television shows set in London