The Trial: A Murder in the Family

The Trial: A Murder in the Family is a British television docudrama, produced by Dragonfly Film and television, that first broadcast on Channel 4 on 21 May 2017. The five-part series follows a fictional court case in which university lecturer Simon Davis (Michael Gould) is tried for the murder of his wife Carla, in an attempt to recreate an accurate portrayal of an English legal trial. Filming and recording of nearly all real court proceedings in England and Wales was prohibited, hence the trial presented cannot be a genuine case.[1] However, the prosecuting counsel, defence counsel and judge featured in the series were real professionals; and the jury was made up of twelve members of the British public. The only actors featured were the defendant and other key witnesses.[2]

The series was co-directed by Nick Holt, who won a BAFTA in 2013 for the Channel 4 documentary The Murder Trial, which followed a very similar format. Holt stated that the new format would "bring audiences closer than ever to those mechanics of a real murder trial." Fellow director Kath Mattock said that; "During rehearsals only three actors knew the truth and we tried to maintain that all the way through the trial. Concepts like 'truth' and 'story' are very subjective in a courtroom, so the trial had a natural fluidity within the confines of the legal process." Although the jury were aware that Davis was played by an actor, they were asked to treat the case as if it was a real trial, and only presented with the evidence as it was revealed in court.[3]

Max Hill QC, who appears as the prosecuting barrister in this case, was appointed as the independent reviewer for terrorism laws in the UK shortly before the series was filmed.[4] Davis' defence barrister, John Ryder QC, is notable for having played a crucial part in the trial of those suspected of the murder of Damilola Taylor.[5]