''Showtrial'' is a British television

legal drama A legal 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 which a system of justice play ...

created by Ben Richards and starring

Tracy Ifeachor Tracy Ifeachor is a British television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Aya Al-Rashid in The CW vampire series '' The Originals'' and Abigail Naismith in both parts of the '' Doctor Who'' Christmas special, " The End of ...

and

Céline Buckens Céline Buckens (born 9 August 1996) is a Belgian and British actress. After appearing in the film '' War Horse'' (2011), she went on to play Mia MacDonald in the Netflix series '' Free Rein'' (2017–2019) and Sophie Mercer in the Cinemax se ...

. The five-part first series aired on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

from October to November 2021 and starred

and

. Two years later, it was announced that ''Showtrial'' had been developed into an anthology format and that a second series had been ordered, starring a new cast. The first series received a mixed reception from critics. The writing, pace and lack of subtlety received criticism from reviewers. However, the format, dramatic scenes and Buckens' acting was praised. Buckens was also nominated for various accolades for her portrayal of Talitha Campbell, including the

British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA TV Awards) were first presented in 1954. They are the UK equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the United States. From 1954 to 1997, film and television awards were presented at one ceremony. Since 1998, two ...

and the

International Emmy Award for Best Actress The International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress is an award presented annually by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS). The award honors the best performance by an actress in a made for-television fic ...

Synopsis

Series 1

Talitha Campbell, the arrogant daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, is arrested following the disappearance of fellow student, Hannah Ellis, the hard-working daughter of a single mother. From Talitha's arrest to the jury's final verdict, ''Showtrial'' switches between both sides of the legal battle, as defence and prosecution fight for their version of what really happened to Hannah, and the truth about Talitha: was she falsely accused or is she a callous murderer?

Series 2

High-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left to die in a violent hit and run and uses his dying moments to identify his killer: a serving policeman. It explores the worlds of cocky officer Justin Mitchell, anxious defence solicitor Sam Gill and Leila Hassoun-Kenny, a rigorous lawyer leading the case against the accused.

Cast

Series 1

as Cleo Roberts *

as Talitha Campbell * Kerr Logan as James Thornley *

Lolita Chakrabarti Lolita Chakrabarti (born 1 June 1969) is a British actress and writer. Early life Chakrabarti was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, to Bengali Hindu parents from India on 1 June 1969. She grew up in Birmingham, where her father worked as ...

as Meera Harwood *

Sharon D. Clarke Sharon Delores Clarke (born 12 August 1966) is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama ''Holby City'', and as Grace O'Br ...

as Virginia Hoult *

Sinéad Keenan Sinéad Keenan (born 27 December 1977) is an Irish actress with a wide range of television, film and stage credits. Keenan is best known for playing Farrah Phelan in ''Fair City'' and for playing the role of werewolf Nina Pickering on BBC Three' ...

as Detective Inspector Paula Cassidy *

James Frain James Dominic Frain is an English stage and screen actor. His best known television roles include Thomas Cromwell in the Showtime/ CBC historical drama ''The Tudors'' (2007–2009), Franklin Mott in the HBO drama ''True Blood'' (2010), Warwic ...

as Sir Damian Campbell * Christopher Hatherall as DC Andy Lowell * Amy Morgan as Heidi McKinnon *

Elizabeth Rider Elizabeth Rider is an English actress, sometimes credited as Liza Rider. She is known for her portrayal of Lynette Driver in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. Education Rider trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was aw ...

as Dame Isobel Cavendish, The Hon Mrs Justice Cavendish *

Alec Newman Alec Newman (born 27 November 1974) is a Scottish actor best known for portraying Paul Atreides in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's ''Dune''. Early life Newman was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father is San ...

as Dr Stephen Vendler * Joseph Payne as Dhillon Harwood *

Rupert Holliday-Evans Rupert Holliday Evans (also Rupert Holliday–Evans) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles in programmes such as the ITV police drama ''The Bill'' and CBBC children's programmes '' The Giblet Boys'' and ''Powers''. In episodes of com ...

as Brian Reeves *

Claire Lams Clair or Claire may refer to: * Claire (given name), a list of people with the name Claire *Clair (surname) Places Canada * Clair, New Brunswick, a former village, now part of Haut-Madawaska * Clair Parish, New Brunswick * Pointe-Claire ...

as Andrea Ellis *

Camilla Power Camilla Joy Cynthia Power (born 13 November 1976) is an Irish-born English actress. She is best known for her appearances in the television series ''Emmerdale'' and '' Waterloo Road''. Early life and education Power was born in Cork, Ireland, ...

as Cressida, Lady Campbell *

Lu Corfield Lucy "Lu" Corfield (born 1979 or 1980) is a Welsh actress, known for her roles as Freya Wilson in '' Doctors'', Ruth in ''Last Tango in Halifax'' and Joyce Edevan in '' Clink''. In 2020, she appeared in the BBC Three series '' In My Skin''. Ca ...

as Emma Hemmings *

Amy Marston Amy Jessica Marston (born 1972) is an English actress on screen and in theatre. She is known for her roles as Sylvia Sands in ''The Hello Girls'', as Deborah in ''Rome'', and as Jenny Rawlinson in '' EastEnders''. film and television career ...

as Lydia Vendler *

Abra Thompson Abra may refer to: Places * Abra, Burkina Faso * Abra, Ivory Coast * Abra (province), a province of the Philippines ** Abra's at-large congressional district ** Legislative district of Abra * Abra de Ilog, a municipality of Occidental Mindo ...

as Hannah Ellis *

Angus Castle-Doughty Angus Finlay George Castle-Doughty (born 12 February 1995) is an English actor. He began his career appearing in various stage productions including ''Teechers'', '' The Government Inspector'', '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'' and ''All Quiet on ...

as Troy Manners *

Mika Simmons Mika Simmons is a British actress, film-maker and podcaster, who is known for ''The Happy Vagina'', covering women's health. She started the Lady Garden Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers and fund research into tr ...

as Amanda Wilkinson * Rebecca Grant as Nisha Baria

Series 2

Adeel Akhtar Adeel Akhtar (born 18 September 1980) is a British actor. In 2017, he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in '' Murdered by My Father''. He was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role ...

Nathalie Armin Nathalie Armin is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of stage productions. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC Three comedy ''Juice'' (2023) and the BBC One drama ''Showtrial'' (2024). Early life Armin was born t ...

Michael Socha Michael Robert Socha (born 13 December 1987) is an English actor, known for his roles in the films ''This Is England'' and ''Summer'', and the television series '' This Is England '86'', '' '88'', '' '90'', '' Being Human'', '' Once Upon a Time ...

Production

BBC One commissioned ''Showtrial'' in 2019 as a five-part

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began in April 2021 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, including at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...

. Two years after the series had aired, it was announced that the BBC had decided to develop ''Showtrial'' into an anthology series. They ordered a second series that commences filming in November 2023 in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

. Series creator and writer Ben Richards said: "I am very grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to explore another sensational trial which I hope will be just as entertaining as our first outing. I love writing ''Showtrial'' and I'm honoured to have a cast of such high quality to deliver it."

Episodes

Series 1

Reception

For her role as Talitha, Céline Buckens was nominated for Best Actress at the ''TV Choice'' Awards, as well as being nominated for the

and the

. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' felt that ''Showtrial''s first series had a lot going on that made it hard for the reviewer to keep up with the premise of the show. However, they were drawn in by the mystery of the case and wanted to watch to the end. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' praised its cinematography and filming style, describing it as "more energetic and stylish than we are used to from" the BBC. They also commended Tracy Ifeachor's portrayal of a solicitor. However, they felt that the dialogue was not gripping. ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' gave the series two stars out of a possible five as they felt that ''Showtrial'' was not subtle enough. They found that the social commentary scenes "leap out of the screen and whack you over the head" and that some of the acting was more suited to a stage production, noting Sinéad Keenan as the "worst offender" who has a "near-comical venom and channels a

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in '' Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: ...

-esque evil genius". Although they also criticised Richard's writing, ''Radio Times'' enjoyed the scenes between Buckens and Ifeachor, describing them as "campy fun". ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' described it as "great". The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' described ''Showtrial'' as a "fresh, considered spin on the usual crime procedural tropes" and commended Buckens' acting abilities for making Talitha "compellingly awful". They noted that the format of the show slowed down the pace of the storytelling, but felt that the slow burn aspect made it a rewarding watch. ''

The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...

'' also commended Buckens' acting and wrote that she "steals the show" with her "mesmerising performance" as Talitha. They also enjoyed the "composed, intriguing, layered" drama throughout the first series.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 11403434 2021 British television series debuts 2020s British anthology television series 2020s British crime drama television series 2020s British legal television series Courtroom drama television series English-language television shows Fictional murderers Television series by World Productions Television shows set in Bristol Television series by ITV Studios BBC crime drama television shows