New Street Law : second series

07 February, 2007 by The_Boss

New Street Law

BBC ONE Wednesday 21st February 2007 9:00pm -10:00pm

Manchester's finest legal minds are back to risk heart and soul in pursuit of the truth this winter on BBC One.
Viewers' favourites, John Hannah, John Thomson and Lisa Faulkner, return for a second series to head up an ensemble cast in the stylish and pulsating legal drama New Street Law.

Susie Amy and Francis Magee join the cast, whilst Jennifer Ellison, Ray Emmet Brown and John Henshaw appear as guest stars.
Set amongst Manchester's legal community, New Street Law follows the exploits and cases of two rival barristers' chambers with very different attitudes to justice.

Head of the defence chambers, Jack Roper (John Hannah), has thrown his working life into turmoil after his single-minded pursuit of the truth and justice has left him facing a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Jack's single-mindedness jeopardises his own career as well as everyone else's at his chambers.

Tensions run high between Jack's chambers and those of the prosecution, headed by his one-time mentor, Laurence (Paul Freeman). Laurence is quick to condemn Jack's actions, much to the annoyance of his daughter and former colleague, Laura (Lisa Faulkner).

Laura, alongside Jack's old friend and head clerk Al (Chris Gascoyne), must convince Jack that he has to put his and his colleagues' jobs before his principles.

The new series brings fresh legal battles, including:
a washed-up football manager (John Henshaw) accusing a glamourous agent (Jennifer Ellison) of theft;
two schoolgirls in the dock for murdering a school friend;
a family in turmoil when the daughter accuses her father of abuse;
a couple on the brink of divorce because the husband donated £40,000 to charity on the advice of an "angel";
a headteacher who wants to ban Sports Day as there is too much competition in schools already;
and a nightclub owner accused of dealing heroin with a street value of millions.

Relations in chambers become ever more complex when Laura and Jack spend the night together, but Jack is afraid of pursuing the relationship because of a huge secret in his past. Laura is hurt by Jack's rejection but is determined not to let it affect her, personally or professionally.

Annie (Lara Cazalet) and Charlie (John Thomson) find it increasingly difficult to keep away from each other, even though they're both married.
Annie's guilt threatens her already rocky marriage, so she tries to push an ever more lovelorn Charlie away and back to his wife, Tessa (Susie Amy), even though she knows that he is the only man she really wants.

Ambitious Joe (Lee Williams) flirts with Laura and contemplates a move upstairs into prosecution to punish Jack for not valuing him enough.
Meanwhile, Laura's parents, Honor (Penny Downie) and Laurence, seem distant with each other, a fact not helped by Honor sneaking off for secret trysts with old flame Frank (Francis Magee).

The new, six-part series of New Street Law is written and co-produced by Matthew Hall (Blue Murder), who co-created New Street Law with GF Newman. Other writers for this series include James McIntyre (Taggart) and Chris Bucknall (Linda Green).

The series is commissioned by Julie Gardner for BBC Wales and is produced by Matthew Bird (Class Of '76). The executive producer is Nicola Shindler for Red Production Company. New Street Law is made by Red Production Company in association with One-Eyed Dog.