As a second season of Showtrial arrives on the BBC, I finally tackle Series 1 in all its objectionable watchiness
“It won’t be decided on the evidence, but on her”
Having come up with the genius TV that was Spooks, I’ve a lot of time for Ben Richards as a writer – his Cobra series has been fairly good fun – but the pre-publicity for Series 1 of Showtrial back in 2021 really turned me off, even though I do love a legal thriller as well. With a second series about to start on BBC1, I thought I’d give it go though, Sharon D Clarke is in the cast after all, but it turns out I should have relied on my instincts.
The show focuses on Talitha Campbell, a hugely entitled university student at Bristol, who is arrested after the disappearance of her former friend and classmate Hannah Ellis. It is quickly identified that she’s been sending malicious texts and once the case becomes a murder investigation, she’s prime suspect #1. DI Paula Cassidy is easily riled up by Talitha’s objectionable personality and so is gung-ho about charging her but duty solicitor Cleo Roberts suspects there may be more to the case, not least in the chance of reinvigorating her own career.
So the scope of Showtrial is fairly large, taking us from the first days of the investigation of Hannah’s disappearance, through the building of the case against Talitha and co-defendant/best pal Dhillon and then subsequently the court case against them both. It doesn’t really work though. The show is played with an entirely straight bat, determined to be taken seriously as it raises social commentary issue after issue – media interest and interference, class and sex bias, a justice system that can be gamed by the rich, etc etc.
But the writing turns out at almost pantomime-levels of heightened nonsense. Sinead Keenan’s DI Cassidy is alternatively irresponsible and unprofessional in letting her feelings about Talitha govern the investigation, Celine Buckens’ Talitha is never credible with her spoilt little rich girl schtick tainting every interaction, Tracy Icheafor’s legal eagle Cleo is similarly exaggerated though she does do better as showing how solicitors how their nose for clients they don’t necessarily like whilst taking on their cases.
That sense of exaggeration dooms Showtrial though, as it is rarely possible to take it as seriously as it is so desperately wants to be. Precious few of these characters feel at all real and so the issues they espouse largely fall by the wayside, even if there are a few key moments where it does a good job of making us look at our own prejudices as it leaves the ‘truth’ of what happened unexplored (I still disagree vehemently with the outcome). Sharon D Clarke is very good in her limited role in the CPS but altogether a bit disappointing.