Famous Court Cases - Radio Plays
2005 A Certain Justice, by P.D.James
2002 The Trial of the Angry Brigade
2002 The Titanic Inquiry, by Bob Sherman
2001 Lockerbie on Trial, by Peter Goodchild
2001 Criminal Conversation, by Judith French
2000 Wainwright the poisoner, by Andrew Motion
1993 Darling Peidi, by Shelagh Stevenson
1992 The Facts Speak For Themselves
1968 Black Chiffon
1964 Trial By Judge, by Michael Hardwick
NOTES
A Certain Justice....2005
(AP Monday 30 May 2005) From the P D James book,
which concerns the murder of a leading criminal barrister.
The Trial of the Angry Brigade....2002
(The Friday Play 9 August 2002) A dramatisation marking the
thirtieth anniversary of of the trial from 30 May to 6 December 1972
of those accused of a series of bomb attacks between 1970 and 1972.
The Titanic Inquiry....2002
(R4, 1415, 11-12 Apr 02) commemorated the 90th anniversary of the famous most famous sinking in history. When the Titanic sank, the owners of the White Star Line tried to return immediately to England, but an inquiry set up by the US senate held the surviving witnesses in New York to be questioned in detail and in public. From the archives, Bob Sherman has reconstructed the inquiry. This was a gripping courtroon drama, directed by Ned Chaillet.
LOCKERBIE ON TRIAL....2001
A most extraordinary
trial was reconstructed by Peter Goodchild: Lockerbie
on Trial (R4 1415, 90min, 20 Feb 01). As described by the RT: "the story is a gripping, twisted narrative in which the evidence is so attenuated that only a very clear mind can pursue it through the opaque hall of mirrors which is international terrorism". The prosecution were confident of getting two convictions, but amongst the witnesses were double agents, terrorists, and arms dealers, and they knew every legal trick in the book. The play follows the twists and turns of the legal arguments. Sombre but fascinating.
CRIMINAL CONVERSATION....2001
A London court case from 1738.
DARLING PEIDI....1993
The Edith Thompson / Freddy Bywaters case, 1922.
See Shelagh Stephenson page.
The Facts Speak for Themselves....1992
(Saturday Playhouse 07.11.1992) . A play whose action takes
place entirely during a criminal trial. The legal maxim, specifically
a rule of evidence, is res ipsa loquitur which is usually applied
to civil cases in the field of negligence. The locus classicus being a
case in which a barrel of flour rolled out of a warehouse window
and fell upon a passing pedestrian.The only reasonable explanation
for the fall of the barrel being that the barrel had been negligently stacked.
Black Chiffon....1968
(SNT 17 February 1968) An upper class woman faces the
humiliation and social disaster of being tried for theft.
One of Dame Flora Robson's favourites among her own work.
Trial by Judge....1964
By Michael Hardwick (SNT 28 March 1964). Set before 1907, a prominent
judge is about to try his last case in a long career. The judge deliberately misleads
the jury in order to bring attention to the fact that in the absence of a court of
criminal appeal there is no means to correct miscarriages of justice.
The Criminal Court of Appeal was established later.
Alastair Wyper & Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
The above plays known to exist in VRPCC collections
