Never has TV been so compulsive, captivating and equally terrifying.
The re-enactment of one real-life murder trial, with two separate juries deliberating over the case and some pretty good acting, leads to one thing and one thing only- compulsive viewing. It’s a concept that is so simple, yet so intriguing. All I could think was, why has this not been done before? The added plot twist, which was the secret that both juries didn’t know they were deliberating over the same case, made it even more enthralling.
However, it is equally harrowing. It is sort of like when people say you don’t want to know what is in a Black Pudding or you don’t want to know how Wine Gums are made, equally we don’t always want to know what goes on behind the scenes of a court room. Food references aside, this show forensically (if you pardon the pun) broke down the proceedings that take place in the court room and that’s something we will never unsee.
So, let me set the scene, we meet one or two of the Jurors before the eight-day deliberations start and the facts are laid out. They are quite simple. John killed his wife Helen after he "just snapped". The job of the Jury is to decide if it was Manslaughter or Murder? This is the moment where everything changes and not just in terms of the reconstruction but also regarding the opinions many will have on the British Legal System.
The facts, the assumptions, the eyewitness testimonies, the character witnesses and John’s body language left the jurors swaying from side to side. It became clear that people’s personal experiences and biases had an impact on their verdicts. It was like a revised version of Twelve Angry Men (just without Queen Jane Fonda’s Dad in every scene).
So, how has this changed the British Legal System forever? Well, it has raised questions surrounding bias and personal experiences. It has questioned whether eyewitness testimonies are just emotional manipulation or actually useful. Finally, it has challenged whether or not the Jury system still fit for use in such a diverse and fractured society. Whether it changes the Legal System or not, this show is made for captivating viewing. Well done Channel 4 (for once.)