The
lowdown: 'Crown Court' is a long-running
courtroom drama that was broadcast on ITV1 between 11 October 1972
and
29 March 1984. It was set in the Crown Court of the fictional town of Fulchester,
and featured a range of civil and
criminal
cases. All of the action took place in the court room, and involved witnesses
giving evidence, cross-examinations
and
the final verdict of the jury. In an unusual move for the time, the jury
members were not actors but actual members of
the
public, who decided the outcome of each case. However, due to the requirements
of Equity, the jury foreman was an
actor,
as they had a speaking role. Some 879 episodes were made over 11 seasons,
with each episode running for 23
minutes
(without ads) and each story usually comprising three episodes. The final
episode of each story features the
jury
handing down their verdict, and the judge's decison is revealed in a voice-over
during the end credits.
The
episode: 'Will The Real Robert Randell
Stand Up' was the 14th episode of the second season, and was broadcast
on
29 October 1975. It stars Patrick Troughton as the man in the dock, Joseph
Molloy, who faces two charges under the
Theft
Act - obtaining money by deception and attempting to obtain money by deception.
The prosecution alleges that he
obtained
£40 from the female landlord of a pub by passing himself off as Robert
Randell, the producer of a popular TV show
called
Union Square. It is also alleged that he tried to obtain £30 from
another publican by the same means. Molloy is an
actor,
but he is finding it hard to obtain work in his chosen profession. The
jury is told that Molloy recently changed his
rofessional
name from Edmund Greer to Robert Randell, explaining that he thought having
a well-known name would make
it
easier for him to get acting roles. The juror clears Molloy of the first
charge, but finds him guilty of attempting to obtain
money
by deception, and he is fined £100.
The
verdict: 'Crown Court' is an interesting
series and has dated quite well considering its age. It should appeal to
people
who
like legal dramas such as 'Rumpole of the Bailey', although don't expect
something like 'Judge Judy'! Indeed, this is
a
concept that would still work well today, particularly the rather novel
idea of using real people as jurors - after all, plenty
of
people would love to have their 15 minutes of fame on telly! Patrick Troughton
also appeared in a 1974 episode called
'Pot
of Basil', while other Doctor Who actors to appear include Ian Marter
and Michael Sheard.
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