Silk (TV series)
{{short description|British television legal drama series}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Silk (TV series).jpg
| image_size = 250
| caption =
| executive_producer = Hilary Salmon
Peter Moffat
| producer = Cameron Roach (Series 1)
Richard Stokes (Series 2)
Matt Strevens (Series 3)
| runtime = 60 minutes
| creator = Peter Moffat
| writer = {{Plain list |
- Peter Moffat
- Steve Thompson
- Debbie O'Malley
- Mick Collins
- Colin Teevan
}}
| starring = {{Plain list |
- Maxine Peake
- Rupert Penry-Jones
- Neil Stuke
- John MacMillan
- Theo Barklem-Biggs
- Alex Jennings
- Tom Hughes
- Natalie Dormer
- Nina Sosanya
- Jamie Di Spirito
- Frances Barber
- Amy Wren
- Phil Davis
- Indira Varma
- Shaun Evans
- Miranda Raison
- Jessica Henwick
}}
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| network = BBC One
BBC One HD
| company = BBC Productions
| first_aired = {{start date|df=yes|2011|2|22}}
| last_aired = {{End date|df=yes|2014|3|31}}
| num_series = 3
| num_episodes = 18
| list_episodes = #Episode list
}}
Silk is a British television drama series produced by the BBC which was broadcast over three series on BBC One between 22 February 2011 and 31 March 2014. Created by Peter Moffat, the series follows the daily goings on of Shoe Lane Chambers and its members in their personal and professional lives.
Origin
The series' writer, Peter Moffat, also wrote the series Criminal Justice and North Square, as well as an episode of Kavanagh QC. Before the series started, Moffat said in an interview, "I wanted Silk to be full of politics and intrigue. From my experience at the Bar, I felt life in chambers had all of those components, with big stories and lots of courtroom drama—but I wanted to make it as much about barristers and their life in chambers as about the trials".
Silk was commissioned by Jay Hunt, then-Controller of BBC One, and Ben Stephenson, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, and started filming in July 2010.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/07_july/13/silk.shtml Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones called to the bar in new BBC legal drama Silk] BBC Press Office, 13 July 2010 It is based on Moffat's experiences at the Bar. In an interview with The Guardian, he said "I want to tell it as it really is. The extreme pressure, the hard choices, the ethical dilemmas, the overlap between the personal and the professional, principles fought for and principles sacrificed, the Machiavellian politics, the sex, the drinking, the whole story—life at the bar is the richest possible drama territory."{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jul/13/bbc1-silk-maxine-peake |title=Maxine Peake to star in BBC1 legal drama Silk |first=Jason |last=Deans |work=The Guardian |date=13 July 2010 |access-date=1 March 2011}}
The series' title is a colloquial reference to someone who has attained the status of King's Counsel (QC or KC dependent on the current reigning monarch,) which entitles the person to wear a certain design of gown in court, which is usually made of silk.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12493885|title=Why is law such a fertile ground for drama?|date=22 February 2011|publisher=BBC News|access-date=7 March 2011}}
Overview
Silk follows barristers from a set of criminal law chambers in London. The series' focuses on Martha Costello (Maxine Peake) and her ambition to become Queen's Counsel as well as on her rival, Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones). Martha achieves her ambition at the end of Series One, leaving Clive disappointed. He however becomes a QC in the opening episode of Series 3. The chambers' senior clerk, Billy Lamb (Neil Stuke), also features heavily in the series.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8340523/Silk-BBC-One-a-lawyers-verdict.html|title=Silk, BBC One: a lawyer's verdict|last=Palin|first=Sarah|date=22 February 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=7 March 2011}} In series 3, Miranda Raison joins the show as Harriet Hammond who is a thorn in the side of Billy, as well as a confidante, supporter, and potential love interest for Clive Reader.
Silk ended with series 3 because creator Moffat and lead actress Maxine Peake were keen to end at a high point.{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-03-20/bbc-legal-drama-silk-to-end-with-series-three/|title=BBC legal drama Silk to end with series three|website=Radio Times}}
Rupert Penry-Jones commented that:
{{blockquote|"It’s a courtroom drama so it could go on and on and there is a whole echelon of stuff we could go into but it will be interesting to see what people make of this series because the way it is left, we as a cast aren’t sure whether it’s been written as, 'This is it', or whether it’s got more to come because it feels like everyone gets blasted in different directions at the end of this series, so maybe the writer has thrown a grenade in and blown the whole show up. But it will very much depend on how people react to it".{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}}}
In March 2014, it was announced there would be a radio spin-off following the lives of the clerks of Shoe Lane Chambers.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26660672|title=TV drama Silk in radio spin-off|date=20 March 2014 |publisher=BBC News|access-date=26 August 2015}}
It was announced that the series would be adapted by ABC for USA television. Peter Moffat was due to executive produce, with the pilot being written by Marty Scott.{{cite web | author = Morgan Jeffery | title = BBC One's Silk to be remade for US television by ABC | work = Digital Spy | date = 27 October 2014 | url = http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a606070/bbc-ones-silk-to-be-remade-for-us-television-by-abc.html }}
Cast
- Maxine Peake as Martha Costello QC, Barrister
- Rupert Penry-Jones as Clive Reader QC, Barrister
- Neil Stuke as Billy Lamb, Senior Clerk
- John MacMillan as John Bright, Clerk
- Theo Barklem-Biggs as Jake Milner, Junior Clerk
- Alex Jennings as Alan Cowdrey QC, Head of Chambers
- Tom Hughes as Nick Slade, a pupil who shadows Martha (Series 1)
- Natalie Dormer as Niamh Cranitch, a pupil who shadows Clive (Series 1)
- Nina Sosanya as Kate Brockman, Barrister (Series 1)
- Jamie Di Spirito as Jimmy Johnson, Junior Clerk (Series 1)
- Frances Barber as Caroline Warwick QC, Barrister (Series 2—3)
- Phil Davis as Mickey Joy, Solicitor (Main Cast Series 2, Guest Series 3)
- Indira Varma as George Duggan, CPS Solicitor (Series 2)
- Amy Wren as Bethany Brassington, Junior Clerk (Series 2—3)
- Shaun Evans as Daniel Lomas, a pupil who shadows Martha (Series 2)
- Miranda Raison as Harriet Hammond, Practice Manager (Series 3)
- Jessica Henwick as Amy Lang, a pupil who shadows Martha, Clive & Caroline (Series 3)
Episode list
class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center;" |
scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Series
! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px;" rowspan="2" | Episodes ! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px;" colspan="2" | Originally broadcast ! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px;" colspan="4" | DVD release date |
---|
scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px; width:120px;" | Series premiere
! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px; width:120px;" | Series finale ! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px; width:120px;" | Region 2 ! scope="col" style="padding: 0 9px; width:120px;" | Region 1 |
width="5" height="10" bgcolor="#bfe0bf" scope="row" |
| 1 | 6 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 22 February 2011 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 29 March 2011 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 11 April 2011{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silk-1-DVD-Maxine-Peake/dp/B004FV4R8G/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1361629633&sr=1-1|title=Silk – Series 1 [DVD]|website=Amazon UK |access-date=26 August 2015}} | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 12 November 2013 |
height="10" bgcolor="#eeeebf" scope="row" |
| 2 | 6 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 15 May 2012 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 20 June 2012 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 25 June 2012{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silk-Series-DVD-Maxine-Peake/dp/B007EAFTXW/ref=pd_cp_d_h__0|title=Silk – Series 2 [DVD]|website=Amazon UK |access-date=26 August 2015}} | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 1 March 2016 |
height="10" bgcolor="#bfeeee" scope="row" |
| 3 | 6 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 24 February 2014 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 31 March 2014 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | 7 April 2014 | style="padding: 0 8px;" | — |
=Series 1 (2011)=
class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;" |
style="color:#fff;"
! style="background:#0A6600;"| Episode ! style="background:#0A6600;"| Title ! style="background:#0A6600;"| Written by ! style="background:#0A6600;"| Directed by ! style="background:#0A6600;"| Viewers ! style="background:#0A6600;"| Original airdate {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=1 {{Anchor|The Bitter End}} |Title= The Bitter End |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Michael Offer |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|2|22|df=y}} |Aux3= 6.34m |ShortSummary= Martha represents a pregnant drugs mule as well as a man charged with robbery and assault on an elderly war hero. |LineColor=0A6600 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=2 {{Anchor|High and Dry}} |Title= High and Dry |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Michael Offer |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|3|1|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.67m |ShortSummary= Martha is pitted against Clive in the case of a man accused of raping his ex-girlfriend; during the trial, Martha discovers that she is pregnant. |LineColor=0A6600 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=3 {{Anchor|Close Quarters}} |Title= Close Quarters |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= David Evans |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|3|8|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.80m |ShortSummary= Martha takes on the case of a teenage rent-boy who is charged with indecency in a public lavatory. Niamh defends a couple accused of breeding dangerous dogs. |LineColor=0A6600 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=4 {{Anchor|Touch and Go}} |Title= Touch and Go |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= David Evans |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|3|15|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.84m |ShortSummary= Martha defends an Asian police officer accused of uttering a racial slur to a black colleague. Billy tries to get rid of Clive by asking a senior clerk from another chambers to offer him a job. |LineColor=0A6600 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=5 {{Anchor|All Plain Sailing}} |Title= All Plain Sailing |Aux1= Steve Thompson |Aux2= Catherine Morshead |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|3|22|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.74m |ShortSummary= Against her better judgment, Martha -- whose strong suit is defence -- is persuaded to prosecute in the case of a teacher accused of attempting to murder a pupil who persecuted him. |LineColor=0A6600 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=6 {{Anchor|Three Sheets to the Wind}} |Title= Three Sheets to the Wind |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Catherine Morshead |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2011|3|29|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.72m |ShortSummary= Martha defends the young rent-boy and his girlfriend, who inadvertently killed a judge after breaking into his house with the intention of robbing him. Martha is made a QC while Clive misses out. |LineColor=0A6600 }} |
=Series 2 (2012)=
class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;" |
style="color:#fff;"
! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Episode ! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Title ! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Written by ! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Directed by ! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Viewers ! style="background:#E7A3B7;"| Original airdate {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 1 {{Anchor|Famous Last Words}} |Title= Famous Last Words |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Peter Hoar |Aux3= 6.56m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|5|15|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Martha, now a fully fledged QC and Clive defend a thug connected to a well-known crime family who is accused of blinding a man who fell foul of his boss. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 2 {{Anchor|The House of Ill Repute}} |Title= The House of Ill Repute |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Peter Hoar |Aux3= 6.08m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|5|22|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Martha defends a young Captain at a court-martial. He is accused of disobeying orders, and that his disobedience led to the death of an unarmed Private. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 3 {{Anchor|In the Family Way}} |Title= In the Family Way |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Alice Troughton |Aux3= 5.56m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|5|29|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Martha defends a youth accused of trashing a corner shop after his girlfriend was insulted. Clive prosecutes three Oxford students accused of assaulting a young waitress. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 4 {{Anchor|Wooden Overcoat}} |Title= Wooden Overcoat |Aux1= Debbie O'Malley |Aux2= Alice Troughton |Aux3= 5.64m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|6|5|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Martha defends a prison van driver accused of neglect and manslaughter after a claustrophobic prisoner dies while in his care. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 5 {{Anchor|Shooting Blanks (Part 1)}} |Title= Shooting Blanks (Part 1) |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Jeremy Webb |Aux3= 5.33m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|6|12|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Caroline seeks out Clive's assistance in the prosecution of Jody Farr, in exchange for a deal for one of her clients. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 6 {{Anchor|Shooting Blanks (Part 2)}} |Title= Shooting Blanks (Part 2) |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Jeremy Webb |Aux3= 5.28m |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2012|6|20|df=y}} |ShortSummary= Martha decides to claim that Jody Farr was framed by the police as her first line of defence. Billy goes in for his operation. |LineColor=E7A3B7 }} |
=Series 3 (2014)=
class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;" |
style="color:#fff;"
! style="background:#070065;"| Episode ! style="background:#070065;"| Title ! style="background:#070065;"| Written by ! style="background:#070065;"| Directed by ! style="background:#070065;"| Viewers ! style="background:#070065;"| Original airdate {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 1 {{Anchor|The Goodbye Kid}} |Title= The Goodbye Kid |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Marc Jobst |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|2|24|df=y}} |Aux3= 6.13m |ShortSummary= Clive who has now become a QC is celebrating with friends and colleagues but the party is interrupted when Alan's son is arrested on suspicion of the murder of a policeman, while Martha hits the bottle after an Inspector lies in court to frame her client. |LineColor=070065 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 2 {{Anchor|Big Fish, Small Pond}} |Title= Big Fish, Small Pond |Aux1= Mick Collins |Aux2= Marc Jobst |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|3|3|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.42m |ShortSummary= Martha defends a footballer accused of attacking an opposing player during a match. |LineColor=070065 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 3 {{Anchor|Heavy Metal}} |Title= Heavy Metal |Aux1= Colin Teevan |Aux2= Michael Keillor |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|3|10|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.16m |ShortSummary= Martha is approached by a euthanasia campaigner to defend a friend, who helped her paraplegic daughter to take her own life. |LineColor=070065 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 4 {{Anchor|Mother Country}} |Title= Mother Country |Aux1= Christian Spurrier |Aux2= Michael Keillor |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|3|17|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.10m |ShortSummary= Martha is asked to help a solicitor whose nephew is wanted for extradition by the American authorities in relation to a bomb attack at an Arizona university. |LineColor=070065 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 5 {{Anchor|The Real McCoy (Part 1)}} |Title= The Real McCoy (Part 1) |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Cilla Ware |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|3|24|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.06m |ShortSummary= Martha goes into prison to visit an ex-lover who is accused of shooting dead gang leader Jimmy Monk, who demanded protection money for him to open a night club. |LineColor=070065 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber= 6 {{Anchor|The Real McCoy (Part 2)}} |Title= The Real McCoy (Part 2) |Aux1= Peter Moffat |Aux2= Cilla Ware |OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2014|3|31|df=y}} |Aux3= 5.33m |ShortSummary= Clive is forced to withdraw from the case, convinced of Sean McBride's guilt. Billy tries to help Martha by convincing Micky Joy to give evidence on police corruption. Harriet and Clive consummate their relationship. |LineColor=070065 }} |
Home media
class= "wikitable sortable" | |||||
DVD Title
! Season ! Episodes ! Aspect Ratio ! Running time ! Year | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season One | 1 | 6 | 16:9 | 360 minutes | 12 November 2013 |
Season Two | 2 | 6 | 16:9 | 352 minutes | 1 March 2016 |
Season Three | 3 | 6 | 16:9 | 300 minutes | — |
In other media
=Radio=
BBC Radio 4 featured a spin-off "Silk: The Clerks Room" that lasted for two seasons from 2014 to 2015, featuring Theo Barklem-Biggs as Jake, Neil Stuke as Billy, and Jessica Henwick as Amy.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040lyfn|title=Silk: The Clerks' Room, Drama - BBC Radio 4 Extra|website=BBC}}
Critical reception
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, barrister Sarah Palin praised Silk, saying that "the opening episodes do a good job of capturing the relentless pressure of the criminal Bar" and that "the competition for silk, while a useful plot device, also accurately reflects the fiercely competitive nature of the Bar", but added "the characters featured are a little more youthful than their real-life counterparts" and that the storyline in which one of the pupil barristers shoplifts his wig and gown struck "an absurd note". The Telegraph{{'s}} television reviewer, James Walton, compared the series to Moffat's previous production, North Square, but said that Silk was "more viewer-friendly" and the characters "far easier to divide into heroes and villains". He concluded that the first episode was "a perfectly OK hour of telly—marred only by the fact that we've come to expect a bit more than that from Moffat."{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8341579/Silk-BBC-One-review.html|title=Silk, BBC One, review|last=Walton|first=James|date=22 February 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=7 March 2011}} Alex Aldridge of The Guardian, meanwhile, called the series "underwhelming" and stated that it implied that cocaine use was "rife" among criminal barristers.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/mar/03/cocaine-culture-criminal-bar-legal|title=Alex Aldridge: Is there a cocaine culture at the criminal bar?|last=Aldridge|first=Alex|date=3 March 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 March 2011}} Also writing in The Guardian, Lucy Mangan implied that the series was predictable and called it "a rare misfire by Peter Moffat [...] and aggravated by the squandering of Peake, whose usually overflowing talents seem to have been dammed here rather than encouraged to irrigate an oddly bloodless role."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/23/silk-and-hestons-mission-impossible-review|title=TV review: Silk, Heston's Mission Impossible|last=Mangan|first=Lucy|date=23 February 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 March 2011}}
The first series averaged 5.85 million viewers. The second series averaged 5.74 million viewers. The third series averaged 5.37 million viewers.{{cite web| url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30| title=Viewing data| publisher=Broadcasters' Audience Research Board |access-date=24 April 2018}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{BBC programme}}
- {{IMDb title|id=1717455|title=Silk}}
- {{Epguides|Silk}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silk (Tv Series)}}
Category:2010s British drama television series
Category:2010s British legal television series
Category:2011 British television series debuts
Category:2014 British television series endings
Category:BBC high definition shows
Category:BBC television dramas
Category:2010s British crime television series