Not to be confused with Granada's 2002 series 'The Jury', this interesting BBC drama was produced by Peter Duguid and centred on the rape trial of a retarded man, one Donald Fleming ( Grant Cathro ). The first twelve episodes focused on the everyday lives of the jurors, people drawn from all walks of life. Construction firm site manager Steve Jackson ( the late Steve Alder ) and academic Elisabeth Robbins ( Angela Morant ) had an affair, hence their episodes were combined. It did not last, much to Steve's bewilderment. Amongst the remaining jurors was jack-the-lad builder Mick Thompson ( Charles Shaughnessy ), single mother Mary Matthews ( Gabrielle Lloyd ), pensioner Gerald Sadler ( Hugh Lloyd ), would-be athlete Christine Cywinska ( Debbie Farrington ), and housewife Ann Coombs ( Margaret Whiting ), the latter having been raped herself years before, a fact she concealed from the others.
The quality of the stories varied, a few veered off into soap opera, but any shortcomings were more than compensated for with the superb two-part finale. In true 'Twelve Angry Men' fashion, it had the jury gridlocked over the verdict. Powerful acting from Gabrielle Lloyd and William Gaunt. Two endings were shot, one which Fleming got sent down, another in which he left the court a free man. The latter was the one that got used. Critics grumbled, at least one described it as 'the longest rape trial in history', but it was engrossing stuff for the most part. The jazzy theme music was by Mike Westbrook.
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