Not all criminal trials are created equal. In each of its two seasons, UK drama Showtrial takes a seemingly straightforward crime and follows it from beginning to end, from initial police involvement to the jury verdict. It’s more than just a mash-up of police procedural and legal drama, though if you’re a fan of either genre you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. Each case focuses on a divide in UK society that reaches to its very core – either you know how the system works, or the system is going to work you over.
The first season looks at the death of student Hannah Ellis (Abra Thompson), a part-time waitress studying at a snooty Bristol university. It’s no mystery who the police have blamed: the opening scene intercuts between fun times at university and fellow students Talitha Campbell (Celine Buckens) and Dhillon Harwood (Joseph Payne) awaiting the verdict after being put on trial for her murder. But do the police have the right suspects?
What does become clear very quickly is that Talitha is a child of privilege, and that has left some pretty deep scars on her personality. Smug, abrasive and condescending, she’s not exactly someone the viewer can cheer for. But with all that money and power behind her – even if she’s not currently speaking to her real estate tycoon father, Sir Damian Campbell (James Frain) – and with her co-defendant having a cabinet minister for a mother, there’s a lot at stake and it’s distorting the case around them.
The result is that nobody seems to be on the same side, even when they’re meant to be working together. The lead detective, Detective Inspector Paula Cassidy (Sinead Keenan) and Crown prosecutor, James Thornley (Kerr Logan) are constantly at odds; Talitha treats her own solicitor, Cleo Roberts (Tracy Ifeachor) with contempt, while Cleo desperately needs a win to get her career back on track.
Talitha Campbell (Celine Buckens) and Cleo Roberts (Tracy Ifeachor). Credit: World Productions
All the while they’re working through a case and a trial that come with more than the usual share of surprise developments and cliffhanger twists. Rich students being careless about the lives of those less financially blessed is an easy narrative, and their arrogance doesn’t make them sympathetic. But there’s a very big gulf between being sympathetic and being guilty, and with the justice system staffed with people running their own agendas, any connection between the verdict and what really happened seems increasingly hard to imagine.
Season two features an all-new cast and an all-new crime, but similar themes – the clash between power and personality – soon surface. Here the suspect with all the power is an ethically dubious but clearly street-smart police officer, who’s been accused of murder. Wealthy climate activist and founder of Stop Climate Genocide Marcus Calderwood (Barney Fishwick) has been knocked off his bike and left dying by the side of the road. With his last breath he claims Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha) was the man responsible, and the system once again swings into action.
Policeman Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha). Credit: World Productions
Mitchell is a man who knows how things work. He’s charming, confident (maybe a little too confident), and well aware that while there’s a lot of evidence stacked against him, none of it is enough to make it an open-and-shut case. To help tip the scales in his favour, he hires Sam Malik (Adeel Akhtar), a solicitor well-known for getting unpleasant people off unpleasant charges.
Everyone on his side of the court believes in justice, even if they don’t think the system is the best way to get it. Just because Mitchell’s grudge against Calderwood was well-known doesn’t make him a killer, and just because Malik’s a man on the edge (sleepless nights and prescription drugs are all he’s left with after the death of his wife) doesn’t mean he can’t find holes in the prosecution’s case.
Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha) with his lawyer, Sam Malik (Adeel Akhtar). Credit: World Productions
Mitchell is staring down some big guns. His boss, DI Southgate (Joe Dempsie) wants him gone on the basis of a dodgy group chat; being caught on video saying to Calderwood that it’d be a shame if a car smashed into him and left him dying by the side of the road isn’t helping his case any. But there’s real chemistry between Socha and Akhtar that gives their scenes an “us against the world” feel – even as we’re left wondering just how innocent Mitchell actually is.
Beyond the collection of powerhouse performances and scripts that constantly surprise, both seasons of Showtrial end up having a lot to say about the state of justice in the UK. Class privilege, climate activism, police corruption, the way power has a way of tipping the scales in its favour; there’s plenty of big issues in the dock.
The cases might be packed with twists, but the verdict is obvious: it’s quality drama from start to finish.
Both seasons of Showtrial are streaming at SBS On Demand.
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