The Jury

The Jury (2002) - Johnnie Donne
(First telecast in the U.K. on February 17, 2002 the five-part British miniseries)
Is Duvinder guilty? Or is he innocent? Share the tension and the excitement as the jury decides.
John Maher (Billy Scott) lay dead in the grass, the victim of 28 well-placed stab wounds. A stolen sword coated in blood lands near the 15-year-old schoolboy's body. It's clearly a case of unrestrained vengeance. John's Sikh schoolmate, Duvinder Singh (Sonnell Dadral), hated him. Hated him enough to commit murder. A horrendous, premeditated murder in cold blood. Or so we're told.
We're also told this gentle, intelligent boy is incapable of killing. He's innocent. Chilling suspense fills "The Jury" as the highly publicized trial pits Sikh and Anglo communities against each other. Logic against intuition. Pride against shame. The jurors must decide what side they're on - both inside the courtroom, and outside.
Award-winning actor Sir Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park; Gladiator; I, Claudius) stars as George Cording QC (queen's council). As Duvinder's lawyer, he must convince the jury of the young boy's innocence in the face of compelling evidence that suggests otherwise. Cording knows his only hope is to confront the evidence head on and expose a scathing case of prejudice. His powers of persuasion have never been sharper.
Gerald Lewis QC (esteemed actor Sir Antony Sher, Shakespeare in Love, Alive & Kicking, Superman II) can be arrogant-he's entitled. After all, his witness saw blood on the accused's shirt. His witness saw an agitated Duvinder running away. His witness found the body. An impassioned relating of the events will certainly bring the guilty verdict Lewis demands.
The Jury probes the workings of justice from the viewpoint of the 12 men and women chosen to determine the fate of a Sikh teenager, accused of murdering a white classmate with a ceremonial sword. This racially volatile situation is first placed in the hands of renowned attorney George Cording (Derek Jacobi), who is defending young Duvinder Singh (Sonnell Dadral), and relentless crown prosecutor Gerald Lewis (Antony Sher), better known as "The Bastard of the Bailey." But as mentioned, the focus is on the jurors, as diverse a group as one is ever likely to meet. Among the selected dozen are Rose (Helen McCrory), an unhappily married beautician; Johnnie (Gerard Butler), a recovering alcoholic; Marcia (Nina Sosanya), a single mother who tends to allow herself to be intimidated into making snap judgments; Peter (Michael Maloney), a brusque self-made businessman; Charles (Stuart Bunce), a Catholic seminarian uncertain of his calling; Elsie (Syvia Syms), a lonely old widow; and Jeremy (Nicholas Farrell), a chronic gambler. How will the juror’s personalities affect the outcome of the case – or, for that matter, the dissemination of facts? For its United States premiere on April 6, 2003, The Jury was beamed out by PBS as part of the Masterpiece Theatre anthology.


