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Homepage > Silk

Maxine Peake (Criminal Justice), Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks), Natalie Dormer (The Tudors), Tom Hughes (Sex, Drugs And Rock And Roll) and Neil Stuke (Reggie Perrin) star in Silk, the drama series for BBC One about the lives, loves and hard cases facing barristers on the front line of criminal law, written by Bafta award-winning writer Peter Moffat (Criminal Justice, North Square).

Maxine Peake is Martha Costello, in her thirties, single, passionate and a defence barrister applying for silk. Innocent until proven guilty are four words she lives by.

Joining Martha is Clive Reader, played by Rupert Penry-Jones. He's funny, gifted and dangerous. The same age as Martha, they're called to the bar together. Both are applying for silk – how they perform in court is vital to this process and Clive knows how to play the game.

Neil Stuke plays Billy, the senior clerk at Martha's chambers. He is dedicated to Martha, even if secretly he believes that she hasn't got a chance of being made a QC.

Nick Slade, played by Tom Hughes is Martha's pupil. Niamh Cranitch (Natalie Dormer) is assigned to Clive. Both are thrown in at the deep end and, as "baby barristers", must sink or swim.

Episode 1

Fresh from a successful defence for murder, Martha is immediately thrown two last-minute cases by the chambers' senior clerk Billy. The cases are being heard the following morning and Martha stays up all night preparing. Next morning she is joined by Nick, her new 'pupil barrister' (trainee barrister), to whom she's showing the ropes and they hurry off to meet the defendants, Rush (an aggravated burglary) and Mercedes (the drug mule). Rush is a quietly menacing man who questions whether Martha is up to the job while Mercedes is pregnant and evidently a victim of a cruel drug-running ring.

Episode 2

Famous for her opposition to the way the Justice system treats rape victims, Martha is handed a case to represent a man accused of raping his ex-girlfriend. Billy is adamant she needs to do it to prove to the Silk panel that she can do her job no matter how morally repugnant she finds the case. With Clive prosecuting for the ex-girlfriend, Martha feels that she will have her work cut out to prove her client innocent.

Episode 3

Martha defends Mark Draper, a vulnerable teenager accused of cottaging in a men's toilet in a popular park along with two other men. Noah and Clive each defend the other two men. On the day of the trial, Noah is taken ill and Nick is forced to take his place at the last minute. He is embarrassed when he doesn't know a point of law. When Martha cross-examines the police officer who was surveying the toilets, she discovers that Mark lied to her about never having been there before.

Episode 4

Martha has been forced to defend Rachna Ali, an Asian policewoman accused of racism. However, at the same time, Mark Draper, the vulnerable teenager that she defended in episode three, has been arrested for murder. Martha wants to take the case but Billy insists Clive does it. Despite admitting to making the racist comment, Rachna refuses to plead guilty. Suspicious that Rachna isn't telling her something, Martha insists the police officer to whom Rachna made the comment, PC Johnson, is called to testify.

Episode 5

Martha is given a high-profile prosecution case against Tony Paddick, a school teacher accused of the attempted murder of a pupil. Martha complains about taking a prosecution case, but Billy persuades her it will be good for her Silk interview. Anyway, it should be an easy win as Noah Zeigler, a low-level barrister from their chambers, is defending. After reading the brief, Martha thinks that attempted murder is the wrong charge and wants to reduce it to grievous bodily harm (GBH). However, she finds herself at loggerheads with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who won't agree to the change.

Episode 6

Martha is preparing for the biggest case of her career – defending Mark Draper, accused of murdering a high court judge. Clive is defending Mark's girlfriend, Emma Slater, also accused of the murder. After visiting the scene of the crime, Mark tells Martha the judge attacked him with a golf club and it was self-defence, but Martha tells him there isn't any evidence to support this.

Photograph shows Rupert Penry-Jones and Maxine Peake stars of the BBC legal drama Silk

BBC drama Silk - The loves and challenges facing barristers

The lives, loves and hard cases facing front line barristers

Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Maxine Peake, Natalie Dormer, Tom Hughes, and Neil Stuke.

Photograph shows Rupert Penry-Jones and Maxine Peake stars of the BBC legal drama Silk

30/03/2011: The BBC announces that a second series has been commissioned.