Katherine Parkinson will be back on our screens soon as a cynical lawyer in a new BBC Two comedy, in Defending The Guilty, Katherine plays a barrister who is mentoring an idealistic young lawyer Will Packham, played by Will Sharpe. The pair will also be joined by cast members Gwyneth Keyworth, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Hugh Coles.
Based on the book Defending the Guilty: Truth and Lies in the Criminal Courtroom by criminal barrister Alix McBride and written by Cuckoo co-creator Kieron Quirke, the six-part comedy will follow Will as he tries to maintain his ideals, navigate the confusing justice system, and compete against fellow pupils to secure a job at the end of training.
BBC Two controller Patrick Holland said: “We only went along for a read through and ended up ordering a whole series! Such incisive writing, cutting humour and a brilliantly rendered world.”
Shane Allen commented: “A terrifically vibrant and sure-footed pilot made for a very quick and easy decision on Defending the Guilty going to series.
“There’s a universal theme of having high ideals when entering this professional world versus the cold hard, cloak and dagger reality of how the legal profession truly operates.
“The core cast have irresistible chemistry and the writing fires out whip-smart lines in all directions. A very classy addition to the BBC Two canon of comedy.”
Big Talk’s chief executive Kenton Allen said: “Alex’s book was expert, authoritative and hilarious and in Kieron Quirke’s excellent hands, the real life of criminal barristers will be an eye-popping, roller-coaster ride through our criminal justice system that will make you re-examine everything you thought you knew about Great British justice.”
Defending The Guilty will be on our screens in 2019.
