Crown Court (TV series)


Crown Court is a British television courtroom drama series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. It ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984. It was transmitted in the early afternoon.

Format

A court case in the crown court of the fictional town of Fulchester would typically be played out over three afternoons in 25-minute episodes. The most frequent format was for the prosecution case to be presented in the first two episodes and the defence in the third, although there were some later, brief variations.
Unlike some other legal dramas, the cases in Crown Court were presented from a relatively neutral point of view and the action was confined to the courtroom itself, with occasional brief glimpses of waiting areas outside the courtroom. Although those involved in the case were actors, the jury was made up of members of the general public from the immediate Granada Television franchise area taken from the electoral register and eligible for real jury service: it was this jury alone which decided the verdict. Indeed, contemporary production publicity stated that, for almost all of the scripts, two endings were written and rehearsed to cope with the jury's independent decision which was delivered for the first time, as in a real court case, while the programme's recording progressed. However, the course of some cases would lead to the jury being directed to return 'not guilty' verdicts.
After an unscreened pilot, the first story to be shown was Lieberman v Savage. Unusually this was a civil case, whereas the vast majority of subsequent instalments featured criminal trials, with only occasional civil cases such as libel, insurance or copyright claims.

Variations

There were some subtle changes in presentation in the early years. In the first year or so stories often opened with photographs of key figures or incidents around the alleged offence over which the court reporter would narrate the background to the case. In other instances there were filmed sequences but these were without dialogue and rarely showed the alleged offence. They were phased out a little earlier than the photos. Thereafter the action would immediately start in the courtroom.
Although the standard format was stories of three 25-minute episodes there were occasional variations. In 1973 there was one story of just one episode and another comprising two. In July and August 1975 a number of stories were presented in single extended episodes at 8.15pm on Saturdays—a prime time scheduling. They occupied a slot of 75 minutes. This was a brief interlude and the programme reverted to its standard format and daytime location thereafter.
The series was occasionally humorous and was even capable of self-parody. On 27 December 1973 a 52-minute self-contained episode Murder Most Foul had a distinctly light-hearted theme and even featured special Christmas-style titles and music. The 1977 story An Upward Fall, written by absurdist playwright N. F. Simpson, was played as a comedy. This bizarre case featured an old people's home built atop a 3,000-foot cliff; its only lavatories were located at the foot of the cliff. Other episodes were deadly serious, such as the story Treason in which a White Congolese man is found guilty by the jury and sentenced to death for treason by the court.

Untransmitted stories

An untransmitted pilot called Doctor's Neglect? was eventually broadcast as part of a repeat run on satellite channel Legal TV over 30 years later. Like the first transmitted episode, this was a civil case—in this instance relating to negligence. The pilot story differs in style in some important respects. In particular, it features informal conversations between the barristers in their quarters as well as them giving advice to clients. Neither aspect figured in episodes from the broadcast run itself, which strictly confined legal discussions to the courtroom. The episode also has no jury; the case is decided by a judge alone. David Ashford, a regular in the programme's early stages as barrister Charles Lotterby, plays a different barrister called Derek Jones. Actors Ernest Hare and David Neal make their only appearances, as a judge and barrister respectively.
This was not the only example of untransmitted stories. In February 1974 the scheduled Traffic Warden's Daughter was replaced by The Getaway. In 1979 Heart To Heart, intended for transmission from 15 to 17 April, was replaced by a repeat of A Ladies' Man. Although neither story was ever broadcast on terrestrial TV they both received airings on Legal TV and have since been released on DVD.

Contributors

Regular actors included William Mervyn, John Barron, John Horsley, Edward Jewesbury, Richard Warner, Basil Dignam, Laurence Hardy, Frank Middlemass, and Basil Henson as judges, John Alkin, David Ashford, Keith Barron, Jonathan Elsom, Bernard Gallagher, Peter Jeffrey, Charles Keating, Maureen Lipman, T. P. McKenna, Dorothy Vernon, Richard Wilson, William Simons and Robert Stephens were among the most common faces as barristers.
Other famous names to appear on the show included Eleanor Bron, Warren Clarke, Tom Conti, Brian Cox, Honey Bane, Philip Bond, Michael Elphick, Sheila Fearn, Colin Firth, Brenda Fricker, Derek Griffiths, Nigel Havers, Ian Hendry, Gregor Fisher, Ben Kingsley, Ian Marter, Mark McManus, Vivien Merchant, Mary Miller, Geraldine Newman, Judy Parfitt, Robert Powell, Peter Sallis, Anthony Sharp, Michael Sheard, Barbara Shelley, Juliet Stevenson, Patrick Troughton, Mary Wimbush, Peter Capaldi and Mark Wing-Davey. Bernard Hill made one of his first television appearances in 1976, when he played the foreman of the jury in the story Scard. Liz Dawn appeared as an uncredited extra for a non-speaking part as a prison officer in Evil Liver.
Writers included Ian Curteis, David Fisher, Peter Wildeblood, John Godber, Ngaio Marsh and Jeremy Sandford.

Recurring characters

  1. 1972-10-11 Doctor's Neglect? Simpson v Rudkin General Hospital Management Board
  2. 1972-10-18 Lieberman v Savage
  3. 1972-10-25 R. v Lord
  4. 1972-11-01 R. v Bryant
  5. 1972-11-08 Euthanasia: R. v Webb
  6. 1972-11-15 R. v Vennings and Vennings
  7. 1972-11-22 The Eleventh Commandment: R. v Mitchell and Clayton
  8. 1972-11-29 A Genial Man: R. v Bolton
  9. 1972-12-06 Espionage: R. v Terson
  10. 1972-12-13 Conspiracy: R. v Luckhurst and Sawyer
  11. 1972-12-20 Who is Benedetto Trovato? R. v Starkie
  12. 1972-12-27 Criminal Libel: R. v Maitland
  13. 1972–??-?? The Medium: R. v Purbeck
  14. 1973-01-03 Whatever Happened to George Robins? R. v Barnes
  15. 1973-01-10 Blackmail: R. v Brewer and Brewer
  16. 1973-01-17 Sunset of Arms: Fitton v Pusey
  17. 1973-01-24 Persimmons and Dishwashers: R. v Curl and Curl
  18. 1973-01-31 A Public Mischief: R. v Baker and Crawley
  19. 1973-02-07 Portrait of an Artist: Kingsley v Messiter
  20. 1973-02-14 A Crime in Prison: R. v Ager and Lanigan
  21. 1973-02-21 Infanticide or Murder? R. v Collins
  22. 1973-02-28 Act of Vengeance: R. v Collings
  23. 1973-03-07 Freak-Out: R. v Marlow
  24. 1973-03-14 The Mugging of Arthur Simmons: R. v Dempsey and Langham
  25. 1973-03-21 Love Thy Neighbour: R. v Thornton and Thornton
  26. 1973-03-28 The Death of Dracula: R. v Mattson
  27. 1973-04-04 Wise Child: R. v Lapointe
  28. 1973-04-11 Beware of the Dog: R. v Page
  29. 1973-04-18 Theft by Necessity: R. v Burton
  30. 1973-04-19 The Gilded Cage: R. v Scard
  31. 1973-04-25 Credibility Gap: Stevens v Porton
  32. 1973-05-02 The Long Haired Leftie: R. v Dowd
  33. 1973-05-09 Intent to Kill: R. v Duffy
  34. 1973-05-16 There Was a Little Girl: R. v Grey
  35. 1973-05-23 A View to Matrimony: R. v McNeill
  36. 1973-05-30 Settling a Score: R. v Bates
  37. 1973-06-06 To Catch a Thief: R. v Halsey
  38. 1973-06-13 Patch's Patch: R. v Patch
  39. 1973-06-20 Who Was Kate Greer? R. v Archer
  40. 1973-06-27 A Right to Life: Abbs v Richards
  41. 1973-07-04 The Inner Circle: Heywood v Blower
  42. 1973-07-11 The Black Poplar: R. v Tressman
  43. 1973-07-18 The Open Invitation: R. v Sellars
  44. 1973-07-25 Beggar on Horseback: R. v Erringburn
  45. 1973-08-01 The Night for Country Dancing: R. v Airey
  46. 1973-08-08 Mrs. Moresbys Scrapbook: R. v Moresby
  47. 1973-08-15 My Old Mans a Dustman: R. v Cousins and Cousins and Mayes
  48. 1973-08-22 The Judgement of Solomon: R. v Kamuny and Kamuny
  49. 1973-08-29 Destruct, Destruct... R. v Ainsworth
  50. 1973-09-05 Public Lives: R. v Williams and Pastor
  51. 1973-09-12 The Thunderbolts: Easter v Goss
  52. 1973-09-19 Treason: R. v Clement
  53. 1973-09-26 A Stab in the Front: R. v Blandford
  54. 1973-10-10 Just Good Friends: R. v Beaumont
  55. 1973-10-17 To Suffer a Witch: R. v Vincent
  56. 1973-10-24 Hit and Miss: R. v Burnett
  57. 1973-10-31 No Spoiling: R. v Smithson
  58. 1973-11-07 The Age of Leo Trotsky: R. v Smith
  59. 1973-11-14 Robin and his Juliet: R. v Tomlin
  60. 1973-11-21 The Most Expensive Steak in the World: Da Costa v McIver
  61. 1973-11-28 Message to Ireland: R. v Parfitt
  62. 1973-12-05 No Smoke Without Fire: R. v Bennington
  63. 1973-12-12 Conduct Prejudicial: R. v Pardoe
  64. 1973-12-19 Tables of the Heart: R. v Saul
  65. 1973-12-27 Murder Most Foul: R. v Hammond
  66. 1974-01-02 The Dogs: R. v Broad
  67. 1974-01-09 Further Charges: R. v Elgar
  68. 1974-01-16 Hidden Scars: R. v Fowkes
  69. 1974-01-23 With Menaces: R. v Aslam
  70. 1974-01-30 Do Your Worst: R. v Skelhorne, McIver and Appleton
  71. 1974-02-06 Flight of the Lapwing: Cummings v Simon
  72. 1974-02-13 Traffic Warden's Daughter: R. v Lianos
  73. 1974-02-13 The Getaway: R. v McDowell
  74. 1974-02-20 The Woman Least Likely... R. v Rutland
  75. 1974-02-27 A Case of Murder: R. v Povey
  76. 1974-03-06 The Assault on Choga Sar: Wainwright v Bowman
  77. 1974-03-13 Duress: R. v Mallard
  78. 1974-03-20 30,000 Pieces of Silver: Porter v Porter
  79. 1974-03-27 Nuts: R. v Holloway
  80. 1974-04-03 Confine to Solitary: R. v Hogarth
  81. 1974-04-10 Big Annie: Robertson v Ash
  82. 1974-04-17 Falling Stars: Leigh v Glynn
  83. 1974-04-24 Son and Heir: R. v Carvell
  84. 1974-05-01 Death in the Family: R. v Durrant
  85. 1974-05-08 Minnie: R. v Barlow
  86. 1974-05-15 Vermin: R. v Brimmer
  87. 1974-05-22 South Tower: R. v Carney
  88. 1974-05-29 Triangle: R. v Prosser and Jackson
  89. 1974-06-05 Victims of Prejudice: R. v Clark and Hamilton
  90. 1974-06-12 Baby Farm: R. v Francis
  91. 1974-06-19 For the Good of the Many: R. v Cardy
  92. 1974-06-26 How to Rob a Memory Bank: R. v Warren
  93. 1974-07-03 The Wreck of the Tedmar: R. v Blaney
  94. 1974-07-10 Two Rings for Margie: R. v Middleton
  95. 1974-07-17 No Stranger in Court: R. v Clegg
  96. 1974-07-24 Security Risk: R. v Denton
  97. 1974-07-31 The Probationer: R. v Cresswell
  98. 1974-08-07 Midnight with No Pain
  99. 1974-08-14 Not Dead But Gone Before
  100. 1974-08-21 Corruption
  101. 1974-08-28 Pickets
  102. 1974-09-04 The Dogs Next Door
  103. 1974-09-11 Good and Faithful Friends
  104. 1974-09-18 Strange Past
  105. 1974-09-25 On Impulse
  106. 1974-10-02 Double, Double
  107. 1974-10-09 The Hunt
  108. 1974-10-16 The Messenger Boy
  109. 1974-10-23 The Dashing Young Officer
  110. 1974-10-30 Immoral Earnings
  111. 1974-11-06 Winklers
  112. 1974-11-13 The Alb of St. Honoratus
  113. 1974-11-20 Cover Up
  114. 1974-11-27 Beloved Alien
  115. 1974-12-04 Arson
  116. 1974-12-11 Forgive-Me-Not
  117. 1974-12-18 Pot of Basil
  118. 1975-01-02 Ring in the New Year
  119. 1975-01-08 The Quest
  120. 1975-01-15 A Difference in Style
  121. 1975-01-22 Matron
  122. 1975-01-29 The Personator
  123. 1975-02-05 Two in the Mind of One
  124. 1975-02-12 The Murder Monitor
  125. 1975-02-19 Who Cares?
  126. 1975-02-26 Saboteur
  127. 1975-03-05 The Trees
  128. 1975-03-12 Bad Day at Black Cape
  129. 1975-03-19 The Mad, Mad Man
  130. 1975-03-26 Contempt of Court
  131. 1975-04-02 Possessed
  132. 1975-04-09 The Also Ran
  133. 1975-04-16 Take Back Your Mink
  134. 1975-04-16 Dead Drunk
  135. 1975-04-30 Light the Blue Touch-Paper
  136. 1975-05-07 The Healing Hand
  137. 1975-05-14 The Obsession
  138. 1975-05-21 My Mother Said I Never Should...
  139. 1975-07-19 Who Killed Cock Robin?
  140. 1975-07-26 Songbirds Out of Tune
  141. 1975-08-02 Inner City Blues
  142. 1975-08-09 Marathon
  143. 1975-08-16 The Natural Bond
  144. 1975-08-23 Evil Liver
  145. 1975-10-15 An Evil Influence
  146. 1975-10-22 Never on Saturdays, Never on Sundays
  147. 1975-10-29 Will the Real Robert Randell Please Stand Up
  148. 1975-11-05 Hunger Strike
  149. 1975-11-12 An Englishman's Home
  150. 1975-11-19 Blood Is Thicker
  151. 1975-11-26 The Party's Over
  152. 1975-12-03 The Extremist
  153. 1975-12-10 Mother Love
  154. 1975-12-17 Dicing
  155. 1975-12-31 Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Wall
  156. 1976-01-07 Crime and Passion
  157. 1976-01-14... Or Was He Pushed?
  158. 1976-01-21 No Questions Asked
  159. 1976-01-28 The Right of Every Woman
  160. 1976-02-04 Beyond the Call of Duty
  161. 1976-02-11 To Love, Cherish – and Batter
  162. 1976-02-18 Scard
  163. 1976-02-25 Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
  164. 1976-03-03 The Ju-Ju Landlord
  165. 1976-03-10 Ends and Means
  166. 1976-03-17 Incorrigible Rogue
  167. 1976-03-30 Drunk, Who Cares
  168. 1976-04-06 Accepted Standards
  169. 1976-04-13 The Jolly Swagmen
  170. 1976-05-04 A Bang or a Whimper
  171. 1976-05-19 Pigmented Patter
  172. 1976-10-06 Stranger in the Night
  173. 1976-10-13 Those in Peril
  174. 1976-10-20 A Working Girl
  175. 1976-10-27 A Matter of Honour
  176. 1976-11-03 Inside Story
  177. 1976-11-10 Death for Sale
  178. 1976-11-17 Treewomen of Jagden Crag
  179. 1976-11-24 You Won't Escape When Hendrik Witbooi Comes
  180. 1976-12-01 Operation Happiness
  181. 1976-12-08 Lola
  182. 1976-12-15 Royalties
  183. 1976-12-22 A World of Difference
  184. 1976-12-29 Auld Lang Syne
  185. 1977-01-04 Beauty and the Beast
  186. 1977-01-25 Home Sweet Home
  187. 1977-02-01 Loved Ones
  188. 1977-02-08 We Are the Champions
  189. 1977-02-15 A Ladies' Man
  190. 1977-02-22 A Matter of Faith
  191. 1977-03-01 Crime Passionel
  192. 1977-03-08 A Swinging Couple
  193. 1977-03-15 One for the Road
  194. 1977-03-22 Such a Charming Man
  195. 1977-03-29 A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
  196. 1977-04-05 The Family Business
  197. 1977-10-18 A Pocketful of Pills
  198. 1977-10-25 Capers Among the Catacombs
  199. 1977-11-01 Kiss and Tell
  200. 1977-11-08 Down Will Come Baby
  201. 1977-11-15 The Silencer
  202. 1977-11-22 Home
  203. 1977-11-29 A Place to Stay
  204. 1977-12-06 Safe as Houses
  205. 1977-12-13 Street Gang
  206. 1977-12-20 An Upward Fall: Cosmic Planning Consultants v Rosenberg Research Foundation
  207. 1978-01-03 Black and Blue
  208. 1978-01-10 Meeting Place
  209. 1978-01-17 Echoes
  210. 1978-01-24 White Lies
  211. 1978-01-31 The Song Not the Singer
  212. 1978-02-07 Michael
  213. 1978-02-14 Association
  214. 1978-02-21 Still Life with Feathers
  215. 1978-02-28 Cat in Hell
  216. 1978-03-07 To Catch a Thief
  217. 1978-03-14 The Change
  218. 1978-03-21 The Jawbone of an Ass
  219. 1978-03-28 Two Thousand Witnesses
  220. 1978-04-04 Code
  221. 1978-04-11 Common Sense
  222. 1978-09-05 In the Heat of the Moment
  223. 1978-09-12 Does Your Mother Know You're Out?
  224. 1978-09-19 The Crown of Life
  225. 1978-09-26 Past Times
  226. 1978-10-03 Queen Bee
  227. 1978-10-10 The Greenhouse Girls
  228. 1978-10-17 Through the Bottom of a Glass Darkly
  229. 1978-10-24 Still Waters
  230. 1978-10-31 A Man with Everything
  231. 1978-11-07 Scalped
  232. 1978-11-14 Soft Target
  233. 1979-01-02 Somebody
  234. 1979-01-09 Beyond the Limits
  235. 1979-01-16 Sugar and Spice
  236. 1979-01-23 Hospital Roulette
  237. 1979-01-30 A Friend of the Family
  238. 1979-02-06 Baby Love
  239. 1979-02-13 Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother
  240. 1979-02-20 My Brother's Son
  241. 1979-02-27 Cash
  242. 1979-03-06 Boys Will Be Boys
  243. 1979-03-13 The Deep End
  244. 1979-03-20 Rebel at Law
  245. 1979-03-27 A Hunting We Will Go
  246. 1979-04-03 Question of Care
  247. 1979-04-10 Cowboy
  248. 1979-05-01 Forever
  249. 1979-05-08 The Irish Connection
  250. 1979-05-15 Heart to Heart
  251. 1979-05-22 Betrayal of Trust
  252. 1979-12-27 Caroline
  253. 1980-08-26 Public Spending
  254. 1981-03-09 Proof Spirits
  255. 1981-03-16 Foul Play
  256. 1981-03-23 Freedom to Incite
  257. 1981-03-30 Hen Party
  258. 1981-04-06 Leonora
  259. 1981-04-13 Embers
  260. 1981-04-21 The Merry Widow
  261. 1981-05-04 Cold Turkey
  262. 1982-03-23 Talking to the Enemy
  263. 1982-03-30 Resurrection Woman
  264. 1982-04-06 Ignorance in the Field
  265. 1982-04-13 On the Defensive
  266. 1982-04-20 Fair Play
  267. 1982-04-27 Peanuts
  268. 1982-05-04 Face Value
  269. 1982-05-11 Wrecker
  270. 1982-05-18 Window Shopping
  271. 1982-05-25 Soldier, Soldier
  272. 1982-06-01 Too Bad for Tobias
  273. 1982-06-08 A Candidate for the Alliance
  274. 1982-06-15 The Fiddling Connection
  275. 1983-01-04 Brainwashed
  276. 1983-01-11 Seconds Away
  277. 1983-01-18 None of Your Business
  278. 1983-01-25 Night Fever
  279. 1983-02-01 A Black and White Case
  280. 1983-02-08 Personal Credit
  281. 1983-02-15 Fighting Fire with Fire
  282. 1983-02-22 A Proper Man
  283. 1983-03-08 Told in Silence
  284. 1983-03-15 Mother's Boy
  285. 1983-03-22 Living in Sin?
  286. 1983-03-29 A Matter of Trust
  287. 1983-04-05 A Sword in the Hand of David
  288. 1984-01-03 Gingerbread Girl
  289. 1984-01-10 Oddball
  290. 1984-01-17 The Son of His Father
  291. 1984-01-24 Whisper Who Dares
  292. 1984-01-31 Citizens
  293. 1984-02-01 Dirty Washing
  294. 1984-02-13 Her Father's Daughter
  295. 1984-02-21 There Was an Old Woman
  296. 1984-02-28 Burnt Futures
  297. 1984-03-06 Mother Figures
  298. 1984-03-13 Big Deal
  299. 1984-03-20 Love and War
  300. 1984-03-27 Paki Basher