New series: Garrow's Law

In the late eighteenth century, pioneering barrister William Garrow changed the way trials worked in British criminal courts forever by offering defence to people who would otherwise have gone unrepresented. As it returns for a second series, Garrow’s Law combines this intriguing real-life figure with actual cases from the records of the courts (although not cases that Garrow himself was involved in) to highlight the importance of this significant, but relatively little-known, individual.

I have no idea how accurate the depiction of the Old Bailey is here, but it’s certainly fascinating: defendants were guilty until proven innocent, and legal representation for them was often non-existent, while Garrow initiated the idea of prosecution witnesses being cross-examined. Since we’re so used to seeing courtroom dramas based on modern systems of justice, the completely different framework here works as a great context. In this opening episode, a ship’s captain was accused of making a fraudulent insurance claim, as he would earn more money from the insurance than he would selling the items – the cargo just happened to be slaves.

Here, the shock and strength of the case alone was enough to carry the episode. The most harrowing aspect was that, bar a few exceptions, no-one thought of this as mass murder. Danny Sapani in particular gave a nicely understated performance as freed slave Gustavas Vassa. Even if Garrow’s “eureka!” moment was a little bit contrived, I’ve seen much, much worse in legal dramas over the years, and the actual revelation was believable. Vassa’s disgust at the captain being shown leniency made for a fittingly subdued ending – Garrow got the result he wanted, but it was still nowhere near enough.

What this series could do without is such a focus on Garrow’s love life. His relationship with Lady Hill is perfectly fine, but the idea that such a good lawyer could become so completely undone every time he so much as glances at her started to grate after a while. Lyndsey Marshal and her astonishing hats play the love interest as well as possible, though, and it could develop into something more interesting as her divorce proceeds over the course of the series. Poor Rupert Graves always seems to get stuck playing the second fiddle creep, but he does do it rather well here as Lady Sarah’s husband.

But for me the really interesting relationship is between Garrow and Southouse. Anyone who’s seen Alun Armstrong in anything will know that he’s one of the finest actors working in British TV today, whether being the retired police officer constantly battling his alcoholism in New Tricks or as the infuriatingly ingratiating but shrewd Inspector Bucket in Bleak House (his delivery of the immortal line “Sir Leister Deadlock, Baronet” stays with me to this day). And Andrew Buchan (so brilliant in short-lived but much missed BBC2 drama Party Animals) is an extremely appealing lead, managing to bring real warmth and life to a character that could very easily come off as preachy. So much of his character’s power and influence rests on his intelligence and charisma in the courtroom – if that’s not convincing, the whole world around him ultimately falls apart, but Buchan is pitch perfect (and a little bit sexy, even with those hair extensions.)

William Garrow is a brilliant historical figure played magnificently by rising star Andrew Buchan, and if every episode of Garrow’s Law has cases this absorbing, we’re in for a treat over the next few weeks.

The second episode of Garrow's Law is on next Sunday at 9pm on BBC1.

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