The
lowdown: 'Crown Court' was 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 usual 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
episode: 'Pot of Basil' was the 113th
episode of the series, and was broadcast on 18 December 1974. It stars
Patrick
Troughton
as John Fisher, whose sister Maggie Fitzgibbon is suing him over ownership
of a vase that has been in the family
for
years but only recently was revealed to be a very valuable Ming dynasty
vase from the 15th century. The vase had been
brought
back from China from the Fisher family's uncle Basil, and was nicknamed
'Pot of Basil' when the Fisher children were
young.
The court learns that for many years the vase was unwanted by any member
of the family, and was stored in the attic
and
only brought out when uncle Basil visited. John claims that his mother
gave it to him several years before his death, a fact
that
is disputed by Maggie. When John's son Peter begins to work for an antique
dealer, Nigel Greatorex, he gets the vase
valued,
and sells it to his boss for £50. Greatorex then sells it for £95,000
and pays John £5,000 as compensation for making
such
a big profit. Maggie takes legal action against, John, Peter and Greatorex
to gain her share of the sale price. The jury
finds
that the Fishers had no right to sell the vase and ordered the defendants
to pay Maggie's costs.
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'! As usual with shows
of
this era, part of the fun for the viewer is spotting actors who were either
little-known back then or famous for other roles.
Guest
actors included Warren Clarke, Nigel Havers, Peter Sallis, Mark Wing-Davey
(best known as Zaphod Beeblebrox in the
Hitchhikers'
Guide to the Galaxy TV series), and Ben Kingsley. Patrick Troughton appeared
in two episodes, while other Doctor
Who
actors to appear include Ian Marter and Michael Sheard.
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