Hello everyone,
Having seen the note in The Sun, and today’s piece in The Bolton News (it quotes a BBC spokesperson as saying: “BBC1 will screen more than 20 new dramas this year, but Garrow’s Law will not be returning.” http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/districtnews/districtatog/9515687.Star_loses_TV_role_as_Garrow___s_Law_axed/ ) it seems fair to say that there will be no series 4 of Garrow’s Law.
I remember when I first came across Garrow way back in 2008. I was looking through the Old Bailey archives on the website http://www.oldbaileyonline.org trying to come up with ideas for a drama based on real cases for Twenytwenty televsion. Once I’d narrowed down the period that i was interested in, it wasn’t as much a case of me finding Garrow, but Garrow finding me! He appeared in so many cases in the Old Bailey that you can’t help but wonder, who was this guy? I was fascinated and captivated and it’s been a real pleasure to have the opportunity to delve into his life and come up with cases and stories for the show.
I know that for many people there’s no substitute for more episodes but, if you are left wanting more, then I genuinely urge you to go to the excellent oldbaileyonline.org website and have a browse. It’s so easy to use – just pop Garrow’s name into the search engine and browse the cases. John Beattie’s scholarly article about Garrow, John Hostettler’s biography of Garrow and the Garrow Soceity website http://www.garrowsociety.org are all great additional resources. Also, I can’t recommend strongly enough the book The Bar and the Old Bailey by Allyson May – it’s a really detailed account of the Bar around Garrow’s time and is full of great information.
Many people have been so helpful to me that I’d be here all day if I listed them all but I’d like to give special thanks to oldbaileyonline and Prof Tim Hitchcock, and the Librarian and staff at Lincoln’s Inn library who have been so great in helping me dig out obscure and dusty volumes of cases. Also, I’d like to thank the producers of the show, TwentyTwenty television and writer Tony Marchant – it’s their attention to detail that makes the magic. And the actors too, Andy, Aiden, Alun, Lyndsy, Rupert, Michael… OK I’ll be here all day!
Thanks also to everyone that watched the show and came on this site to find out more. The whole reason I put information up here was because I wanted people to have a sense of the real cases that inspired the show. When I started, I wasn’t sure if people would be interested, but with close to 60,000 visitors, I’m delighted it’s been popular.
And finally, I’d like to thank the BBC for commissioning the show over these past three years. I think that shows like Garrow’s Law are the BBC at its best.
Here are my best bits, please do feel free to share your own highlights!
My favourite moment of the series…. it’s a hard one but here’s my top three. The Zong case – this was one of the cases that I included in my original document about the show. When we brought it to screen in Episode 1, series 2 I was proud to be able to shine a light on this sad but important day in our legal history.
Moment two would be the Captain Baillie case, also series 2. As I say in the interview for the DVD, when I found Baillie’s pamphlet, he’d written in the forward explaining why he was setting down his story – it was in the hope that the plight of the seamen would not be forgotten. I can’t tell you what a feeling it was to dig this up and help make Baillie’s wish come true, some 200 years later.
But, drum roll, best moment…. Garrow’s Law is, after all, a drama so for me, the moment that best captures it was the Jones and Jasker case where one man accuses his lover of sodomy to save himself. The acting, the writing, the case, for me, it all came together in this episode. Tears of sadness and of joy…. perfect sunday night viewing!
with best wishes, and thanks for your support
Mark
PS: OK, other favourite bit, this last series when Silvester is imagining he’s a judge and talks about how he’d make Garrow’s life a misery, sustaining every objection and making his life hell, within the strictures of the law of course!
Posted by Mark Pallis 