Review: The Murder Trial

I sat down to watch The Murder Trial on Channel 4 with no small amount of trepidation. This was only the second time that cameras had been allowed into a UK courtroom, and this documentary was billed as giving the audience a view into the inner workings of a court. As someone who has visited courts before and viewed trial proceedings I really wanted this documentary to give an accurate portrayal of how the court functioned and the roles of those who work in the criminal justice system. I was also worried that the programme wouldn’t make clear the difference between the devolved Scottish legal system (Scotland has its own legal system, which this case was tried under) and the English legal system, which could create confusion within the audience. My fears were unfounded though and I found The Murder Trial to be both entertaining and informative.

It will always be difficult to fit a five week trial with so many witnesses and so much complex evidence into the space of a two hour programme but I thought that The Murder Trial was edited well and managed to fit in the key details of the trial with a good pace and tension that gradually increased as the trial unfolded. I did however at times wonder what had been left out and whether the programme had been deliberately edited in such a way as to add suspense and surprise when the verdict was announced. I also found some of the interviews and recreations with police footage outside of the courtroom scenes a little slow, while not adding much to the plot. I do realise though that a balance has to be made, and although I’m the kind of person who would love non-stop courtroom scenes for two hours other people may not feel the same way and the programme has to be kept entertaining.

My favourite aspect of The Murder trial was how it portrayed those who work in the justice system and showed them doing their jobs. I’ll be the first to admit that lawyers don’t have the best image; even in TV programmes about the law and lawyers those in the legal profession are portrayed as ruthless and having intense rivalries with those on the opposite side. I feel that this programme to a certain extent helped to dispel that myth and showed what good working relationships lawyers, even on opposing sides, have with each other. It showed the more human and humerous side of those who work in the law, rather than the exaggerated stereotype of the aggressive lawyer. The work by lawyers and different parts of the trial process were explained clearly to the viewer without being patronising; accessible programming like this which shows the real criminal justice system has been long overdue.

Overall I loved The Murder Trial but having said that would not like to see more filming in courts, or more televising of trials. I’d like to elaborate on my reasons for this in a later post, but the main reason I feel this is because it would put too much pressure on those involved in the trial process. However I do urge anyone who hasn’t yet seen The Murder Trial to catch up on it and enjoy a brilliant two hours of television.