The Jury

A mild-mannered teenager is on trial for committing a shockingly brutal murder. His fate-and that of his outraged family-lies in the hands of The Jury. The first show ever filmed inside London's famous Old Bailey courthouse offers the exciting feel of a real-life murder trial as seen from the virtual viewpoint of the jury box. You'll find this mini-series guilty of riveting entertainment.

Episode 1 - A diverse jury is chosen for the politically explosive trial of Sikh teenager Duvinder Singh, charged with the gruesome killing of a white student at his school. Battling the case are two of England's most prestigious barristers: QCs (Queen's Counsel) George Cording for the defense and Gerald Lewis for the prosecution.
The jurors range from beautician Rose Davies to bankrupt Jeremy Crawford, salesman Peter Segal to single mom Marcia Thomas, recluse Elsie Beamish to recovering alcoholic Johnnie Donne, and prospective priest Charles Gore to pushy businesswoman Eva Prohaska. Though no one saw Duvinder commit the crime, witnesses testify that he was near the scene with a stolen sword, and later fled with blood on his clothes. During breaks, Rose and Johnnie get acquainted, Charles finds that the woman he's choosing over the priesthood is engaged to his best friend, Peter's nosy father-in-law corners him into discussing the case against judge's orders, Marcia resorts to her irresponsible mother for child care, and the murder victim's hooligan brothers start a campaign of juror intimidation to ensure a guilty verdict. Their first target: Marcia.

Episode 2 - As Lewis wraps up his ironclad prosecution, Cording tracks down a jogger who was assaulted by a known psychopath just before the murder at a spot nearby. Meanwhile Rose's husband, Len, is spying on Rose and Johnnie; Elsie learns about the Sikhs from a Sikh doctor who tells her she has cancer; Jeremy is promised another stock tip by the man who fleeced him; and Peter is the next target of intimidation by the victim's brothers.

During cross-examination, Duvinder admits to a history of violence in sword fighting contests. More helpful to his case is testimony by the jogger, who has been coaxed to tell how she was attacked by another man near the murder scene. Convinced of Duvinder's guilt, Peter's father-in-law pursues his own investigation into the disappearance of the boy's bloody clothes. Charles offers to take Elsie for her cancer treatments. And Rose's husband stalks Johnnie and wreaks vengeance for a kiss he saw the couple exchange.

Episode 3 - In his summing up for the prosecution, Lewis reminds the jury that there are 11 minutes unaccounted for on the heath, and this, with all the other compelling witness evidence, must lead the jury to a "guilty" verdict. Cording sums up for the defense, describing Duvinder as a good-natured, caring and intelligent pupil subjected to terrible bullying. He reminds the jurors that there is no DNA proof, and that police have failed to do their job properly. There is also the evidence of a second attack on the heath by Thomas Haines. The court case is over. Now it's down to the jury. They make their way to the jury room. Eva Prohaska is voted foreman, and they immediately begin to argue. Talks break down. The jurors elect a new foreman, Peter, before adjourning for the day. Johnnie discovers Rose outside the court; she confesses to him that she's married. The news tears Johnnie apart and he heads straight for the pub. Charles prepares to stay at Elsie's to help her through the final weeks of her illness. She asks him to read her the last rites when the time comes. This is the sign Charles has been waiting for. Michael rushes to Peter's house, sure he has solved one of the biggest mysteries of the case -- what happened to the school uniform that Duvinder was wearing on the heath.

The Mahers meet in a pub. If the justice system fails them, then they will mete out their own justice -- by killing Duvinder.

Episode 4 - Eddie finds Johnnie on the floor of his flat; he's in a terrible state but must pull round for the final day in court. Meanwhile, Rose packs her bag and leaves a distraught Len once and for all. Jeremy has pulled out of the share deal at the last minute, terrified that his family will lose what little they have left. Now he discovers he'd pulled out too soon.
Fiona, however, is proud of him and makes him realize that the only important thing is that they have is each other's trust. Ruby sees Marcia into the court. Finally they call a truce and an end to the misery and loneliness. They'll be a proper family again. Michael is still desperate to speak to Peter who refuses to take his phone number from Marion as he arrives at court. The pressure of the decision they now have to make weighs heavy on all the jurors. With Peter installed as new foreman to break the panel's deadlock, the jurors methodically reenact the crime, establish the sequence of events, and surprise themselves by reaching a decision. Meanwhile, Peter's father-in-law has been urgently trying to contact him. The verdict announced, the jurors find that their tattered lives are slowly mending -- but not in ways that they ever expected.

Filming at the Old Bailey

The Old Bailey is the best known courthouse in Britain and possibly the world. It hears cases from London, those remitted to it from England and Wales (because the case would not receive a fair trial in its own region -- for example the trial of Fred and Rosemary West) and all those arising on board British ships at sea. Just some of those who have been tried there include Oscar Wilde, Daniel Defoe and his Moll Flanders, William Joyce, Dennis Nielsen, the Krays, and most recently Barry George and Jeffrey Archer.

The Old Bailey court was built in the sixteenth century on the site of Newgate prison where, for 85 years, prisoners sentenced to death were publicly hanged. It was rebuilt in 1907 and then damaged by a bomb during World War II, and by an IRA car bomb in 1973. The last hanging in the country took place there in 1955 when Ruth Ellis received the death sentence for murder.

Francis Hopkinson, producer of The Jury, explains that the Old Bailey was chosen as the backdrop for the film for two reasons. "First, it is iconic and a symbol of British justice. And secondly, there is a sense that it is the place where the most appalling trials take place. We were given access to the Great Hall for two days which was fantastic. No one has ever been allowed to film inside the Old Bailey before so it was a great privilege.

'The Jury is filmed through the eyes of the jurors, revealing the ways in which each of them is affected by the case both in and out of the courtroom. It tackles racism and crime head on without brushing round it, as well as challenging the legal system and revealing what goes on within it. Finally, it deals with the emotions of a teenage boy being tried by 12 complete strangers.'

"Gripping and reassuringly thoughtful... first-rate" - The New York Times

"Excellent entertainment beautifully done." - The Guardian

"Absorbing, melancholy and excellently performed... Intelligent"- Daily News of Los Angeles

Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Pete Travis
Produced by Francis Hopkinson
Executive Produced by Peter Morgan
Original Music by Rolfe Kent
Cinematography by Peter Middleton
Film Editing by Edward Mansell
Costume Design by Lucinda Wright