''In Defence'' is a four-part British television legal drama series, created and partially written by Mike Cullen, that first broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

on 26 June 2000. The series stars

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...

and

Sophie Okonedo Sophie Okonedo (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She ...

, and follows Sam Lucas (Kemp), a lawyer and legal detective, who takes it upon himself to investigate cases where the police have failed to uncover enough evidence to secure a conviction. The series was co-written by Maxwell Young and Abigail Fray, and was initially billed as a "star-vehicle" for Kemp, as part of a "golden handcuffs" deal to lure Kemp away from the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. The series broadcast weekly until 17 July 2000. The first episode drew in just more than seven million viewers, although by the end of this series, figures had dropped to just 4.9 million. Poor ratings led to the series being axed by ITV, which in turn led to discussions regarding Kemp's contract with the broadcaster. However, following the success of ''

Without Motive ''Without Motive'' is a British crime drama series broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV, starring Ross Kemp as the protagonist, Detective Constable Jack Mowbray, a born and bred Bristol detective whose world is turned upside down when he is assign ...

'', a fellow ITV stablemate which Kemp filmed concurrently alongside ''In Defence'', his contract was renewed, with a second series of ''Without Motive'' commissioned. The series has yet to be released on DVD, and remains unrepeated since its initial broadcast.

Production

''In Defence'' was co-produced by Helen Gregory and Louise Mutter through

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, and was one of a number of projects commissioned by the broadcaster as "star vehicles" for Ross Kemp. Each of the four episodes in the series begins by outlining details of a specific crime committed, before Lucas attempts to gather further evidence and bring the perpetrator to justice. Despite rumours that a second series was in the pipeline, no further episodes were produced, and in November 2000, the series was axed by ITV's then head-of-drama, Nick Elliott. A behind-the-scenes documentary, ''Best Defence'', directed by filmmaker Peter Markham, was broadcast alongside the series, detailing the journey from commission to production, as well as interviews with the cast and behind the scenes footage from the set.

Cast

Main

as Sam Lucas *

as Bernie Kramer * Brigid Zengeni as Martha Wilson *

Jeff Nuttall Jeffrey Addison Nuttall (8 July 1933 – 4 January 2004) was an English poet, performer, author, actor, teacher, painter, sculptor, jazz musician, anarchist and social commentator who was a key part of the British 1960s counter-culture. He was ...

as Geoff Whelan *

Aden Gillett John Aden Gillett (born 12 January 1958) is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of Jack Maddox on the BBC series '' The House of Eliott''. Biography and career Gillett was born on 12 January 1958 in Aden, Yemen, from which ...

as James Glayzer

Supporting

Episode 1

Liz May Brice Elizabeth May Brice (born 8 September 1975) is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderess Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's '' Bad Girls'', and Agent Johnson in '' Torchwood: Children of Earth''. Career Brice was born in ...

as PC Sally Higson *

Mark Wakeling Mark Wakeling (born 11 October 1971) is a British actor and founder of The Actors Temple in London. Biography After serving as an officer in the Coldstream Guards, Wakeling trained as an actor at The Poor School in London, graduating in 1998. I ...

as PC Crispin Mills * Stuart Graham as DI Paul Howard * Peter Wight as DCI George Mercer *

James Laurenson James Philip Laurenson (17 February 1940 – 18 April 2024) was a New Zealand stage and screen actor based in the UK. Early life Laurenson was born in Marton, New Zealand. He was a student at Canterbury University College in Christchurch (now ...

as Michael Foulds QC *

Lorna Heilbron Lorna Heilbron (born 8 June 1948) is a Scottish actress. She appeared in television series such as '' Ace of Wands'', ''Van der Valk'', ''Blake's 7'', ''Taggart'', ''Lovejoy'' and '' Hazell''. She also starred in the horror films ''The Cree ...

as Karen Squires QC

Episode 2

Bill Fellows Bill Fellows (born May 1957) is an English actor, known for his roles as Stu Carpenter in ''Coronation Street'' and George Cartrick in ''Ted Lasso''. Life and career Fellows was born in Middlesbrough. His theatre work includes Mickey in the ...

as DCI Bobby Calvert *

Stephen Mangan Stephen James Mangan (born 16 May 1968) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in '' Green Wing'', Dan Moody in '' I'm Alan Partridge'', Seán Lincoln in ''Episodes'', Bigwig in ''Watership Down'', Postma ...

as John Henderson *

Luisa Bradshaw-White Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in many British television series, including ''Grange Hill'' as Maria Watts, '' This Life'' as Kira, '' Bad Girls'' as Lorna Rose, ''Holby City'' as Li ...

as Jackie Ellmann * Louisa Millwood-Haigh as Alex Ellmann *

Ellen Thomas Ellen Thomas (born January 24, 1947) is an American peace activist. She first became involved with the White House Peace Vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a US Marine, Thomas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in California. She became oppo ...

as Mrs. Hope

Episode 3

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

as PC Paul Fraser * Jason Pitt as PC Steve Breeze *

Ian McElhinney Ian McElhinney (born 30 June 1948) is a Northern Irish actor and director. He has appeared in many television series in a career spanning more than forty years; notable appearances include ''Taggart'', '' Hornblower'', ''Cold Feet'', and ''The ...

as DCS David Dillne * Vincent Pickering as DS Frank Burns * Nick Day as DCI Brian Minter * Timothy Davies as William Cole QC

Episode 4

* Nicholas Hewetson as DI Duncan Greig *

John McArdle John McArdle (born 16 August 1949) is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the soap opera '' Brookside'', with many other smaller appearances in other soaps and dramas. Playing a regular character in ''Brookside ...

as DCI Brian Walsh * Gabrielle Hamilton as Tilly Kramer *

Ursula Mohan Ursula Mohan is a British actress. From 25 May 1966 she appeared in Sławomir Mrożek's play ''Tango'' at the Aldwych Theatre alongside Patience Collier, Mike Pratt, Peter Jeffrey and Dudley Sutton under director Trevor Nunn. In 2014 and 2016 ...

as Ruth Kramer *

Darrel D'Silva Darrell Fitzgerald D'Silva is a British actor, best known for his role as Hendrik Davie in ITV series '' Van der Valk'' and notable for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Early life and education Darrell Fitzgerald D'Silva was born ...

as Terry Shepherd

Episodes

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0241565, title=In Defence 2000 British television series debuts 2000 British television series endings 2000s British crime television series 2000s British drama television series ITV television dramas 2000s British television miniseries British English-language television shows British detective television series Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television Television shows set in London