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Defending the Guilty

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Defending the Guilty is a British television sitcom, starring Will Sharpe and Katherine Parkinson as London barristers. The programme was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 19 September 2018 on BBC Two. A second series was commissioned, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defending the Guilty
GenreSitcom
Written byKieron Quirke
Directed byTom George
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Kenton Allen
  • Saurabh Kakkar
  • Jim Field Smith
  • Kieran Quirke
  • Kate Daughton
ProducerGeorgie Fallon
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBig Talk Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release19 September 2018 (2018-09-19) –
22 October 2019 (2019-10-22)

Production

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The series was created by Kieron Quirke and based on the 2010 best-selling memoir by Alex McBride (a criminal barrister).[1]

Cast

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Episodes

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
Pilot119 September 2018 (2018-09-19)
1617 September 2019 (2019-09-17)22 October 2019 (2019-10-22)

Special

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [2]U.K viewers
(millions) [3]
0"Pilot"UnknownUnknown19 September 2018 (2018-09-19)N/A
Will is a naive, 29-year-old pupil barrister competing with three others for the only available place in chambers. He works for Caroline, who calls herself Mummy and uses him as her personal servant. He works on the case of Mike, whose trial for attempted murder ends in acquittal due to needing to avoid revealing the identity of an informant. Will helps convicted teenage mugger Gracie avoid being imprisoned; soon afterwards she and her accomplice mug him in a tunnel as he is cycling home from work.

Series 1

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [2]U.K viewers
(millions) [3]
1"Episode 1"Tom George[4]Kieron Quirke[4]17 September 2019 (2019-09-17)N/A (<1.66)[a]
Same episode as pilot
2"Episode 2"Tom George[5]Kieron Quirke[5]24 September 2019 (2019-09-24)N/A

Hetty is an obnoxious woman with a long criminal record. She is tried for assaulting Deanna, whom her partner, Lee, cheated with. He gives evidence, ostensibly to help Hetty. He deliberately gives evidence which destroys the defence's case, causing Hetty to be imprisoned for eight months. Lee is pleased to have enabled himself to gain custody of his two children by Hetty and to continue his relationship with Deanna.

Will is concerned about a rumour spreading that he had a one-night stand with an attractive young juror, Selina. He says that he merely kissed her.
3"Episode 3"Tom George[6]Kieron Quirke[6]1 October 2019 (2019-10-01)N/A

Will tells two colleagues about his encounter with Selina, that he kissed her passionately in the street and in a taxi, but that he did not have sex with her, rejecting her invitation into her house because he wanted to remain faithful to his girlfriend, Nessa.

Will and Caroline's case against a mugger collapses due to the evidence against him being lost.
4"Episode 4"Tom George[7]Kieron Quirke[7]8 October 2019 (2019-10-08)N/A
Caroline and Will defend a man with an unusual obsession, and also get to know each other a little better.
5"Episode 5"Tom George[8]Kieron Quirke,
Alex McBride[8]		15 October 2019 (2019-10-15)N/A
The pupils are competing in a mock trial, complete with real actors. Liam and Danielle are paired against Pia and Will. Pia's stock has crumbled in Chambers after her sexual indiscretion. Will feels guilty about having leaked the information. Nessa finds out that Will is lying to her and confronts him about his affair.
6"Episode 6"Tom George[9]Kieron Quirke[9]22 October 2019 (2019-10-22)N/A
The pupils must address a court for the first time, which for Will means the seemingly straightforward case of defending a drug addict failed by an uncaring system. However, his confidence is rocked by the breakdown of his relationship, and he questions if he is really cut out for a career in law. Caroline is asked to give a lecture to the female bar association, but they are less than pleased by what she has to say.

Broadcast

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The programme was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 19 September 2018 on BBC Two.[10] The show was recommissioned for a second series,[11] but was later cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Notes

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  1. ^ Not reported in the weekly top 15 programmes for four-screen viewer ratings.

References

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  1. ^ "Defending the Guilty: the show that celebrates lawyers who aren't heroes". The Guardian. 14 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Defending the Guilty – Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Four Screen Dashboard (See relevant channel and week(s))". BARB.
  4. ^ a b "Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Episode 2". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Episode 3". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Episode 4". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Episode 5". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Defending the Guilty on BBC Two: air date, cast and more". Radio Times. 16 September 2019.
  11. ^ "BBC - BBC Two commissions Defending The Guilty for a second series - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Defending The Guilty's second series cancelled because of coronavirus". British Comedy Guide. 30 March 2021.
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