Silk (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Silk is a British
television drama series produced by the BBC
and first shown in 2011. Written by Peter Moffat
, the series follows a set of barristers, and what they do to attain the rank of Queen's Counsel
, known as 'taking silk'.
, then-Controller of BBC One
and Ben Stephenson
, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, and was filmed in July 2010. It is based on Moffat's experiences at the Bar
. In an interview with The Guardian
, he said "I want to tell it as it really is. The extreme pressure, the hard choices, the ethical dilemmas, the overlap between the personal and the professional, principles fought for and principles sacrificed, the Machiavellian politics, the sex, the drinking, the whole story—life at the bar is the richest possible drama territory."
The series' title refers to the act of being appointed a Queen's Counsel
, known as "taking silk". Queen's Counsel wear distinctive full-bottomed wigs and their silk gowns. The silk gown is the same as that worn when appearing in court. It is this gown which gives rise to the colloquial reference to Queen's Counsel as "silks" and to the phrase "taking silk" referring to their appointment.
in London
. The series' main focus is on Martha Costello (Maxine Peake
) and her ambition to become Queen's Counsel as well as on her rival, Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones
), and the chambers' two new pupils
, Niamh Cranitch (Natalie Dormer
) and Nick Slade (Tom Hughes
). The chambers' senior clerk, Billy Lamb (Neil Stuke
), also features heavily.
The series' writer, Peter Moffat, also wrote the series Criminal Justice
and North Square
, as well as an episode of Kavanagh QC
. Before the series started, Moffat said in an interview, "I wanted Silk to be full of politics and intrigue. From my experience at the Bar, I felt life in chambers had all of those components, with big stories and lots of courtroom drama—but I wanted to make it as much about barristers and their life in chambers as about the trials".
, barrister Sarah Palin praised Silk, saying that "the opening episodes do a good job of capturing the relentless pressure of the criminal Bar" and that "the competition for silk, while a useful plot device, also accurately reflects the fiercely competitive nature of the Bar", but added "the characters featured are a little more youthful than their real-life counterparts" and that the storyline in which one of the pupil barristers shoplifts his wig and gown struck "an absurd note". The Telegraph television reviewer, James Walton, compared the series to Moffat's previous production, North Square, but said that Silk was "more viewer-friendly" and the characters "far easier to divide into heroes and villains". He concluded that the first episode was "a perfectly OK hour of telly—marred only by the fact that we’ve come to expect a bit more than that from Moffat." Alex Aldridge of The Guardian
, meanwhile, called the series "underwhelming" and stated that it implied that cocaine use was "rife" amongst criminal barristers. Also writing in The Guardian, Lucy Mangan implied that the series was predictable and called it "a rare misfire by Peter Moffat
[...] and aggravated by the squandering of Peake, whose usually overflowing talents seem to have been dammed here rather than encouraged to irrigate an oddly bloodless role".
The first series averaged 5.9 million viewers, consolidated figures show.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television drama series produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and first shown in 2011. Written by Peter Moffat
Peter Moffat
Peter Moffat is a British playwright and screenwriter. His first play was called Fine and Private Place and was broadcast on BBC Radio in 1997. His best-known plays are Nabokov's Gloves and Iona Rain....
, the series follows a set of barristers, and what they do to attain the rank of Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, known as 'taking silk'.
Origin
Silk was commissioned by Jay HuntJay Hunt
Jay Hunt was an American film director and actor. He directed 68 films between 1911 and 1919. He continued his career as an actor until 1931....
, then-Controller of BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and Ben Stephenson
Ben Stephenson
Ben Stephenson is an English television executive, who has been controller of drama commissioning at the BBC since September 2008.-Early life:Stephenson attended The Hewett School in Norwich before studying at Manchester University.-Television:...
, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, and was filmed in July 2010. It is based on Moffat's experiences at the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
. In an interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, he said "I want to tell it as it really is. The extreme pressure, the hard choices, the ethical dilemmas, the overlap between the personal and the professional, principles fought for and principles sacrificed, the Machiavellian politics, the sex, the drinking, the whole story—life at the bar is the richest possible drama territory."
The series' title refers to the act of being appointed a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, known as "taking silk". Queen's Counsel wear distinctive full-bottomed wigs and their silk gowns. The silk gown is the same as that worn when appearing in court. It is this gown which gives rise to the colloquial reference to Queen's Counsel as "silks" and to the phrase "taking silk" referring to their appointment.
Overview
Silk follows a group of barristers from a chambersChambers (law)
A judge's chambers, often just called his or her chambers, is the office of a judge.Chambers may also refer to the type of courtroom where motions related to matter of procedure are heard.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The series' main focus is on Martha Costello (Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake is an English stage, film and television actress known for playing Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies, and, most recently, barrister Martha Costello in BBC legal drama Silk.-Early life:Peake is the second of...
) and her ambition to become Queen's Counsel as well as on her rival, Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones
Rupert Penry-Jones
Rupert William Penry-Jones is an English actor, best known for his role as Adam Carter in the British television series Spooks, also broadcast under the title MI-5.-Family life:Penry-Jones was born in London on September 22, 1970...
), and the chambers' two new pupils
Pupillage
A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, is the barrister's equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes...
, Niamh Cranitch (Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Victoria in Casanova and as the ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Early life and current lifestyle:...
) and Nick Slade (Tom Hughes
Tom Hughes (actor)
Tom Hughes is an English actor, best known for his roles as Jonty Millingden in ITV drama Trinity, Chaz Jankel in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Bruce Pearson in Cemetery Junction, and Nick Slade in BBC legal drama Silk....
). The chambers' senior clerk, Billy Lamb (Neil Stuke
Neil Stuke
Neil Stuke , is an English actor notable for playing Matthew in the second and third series of Game On after taking over the role from Ben Chaplin,and for his role as Billy Lamb, Head Clerk in the 2011 BBC television series "Silk"...
), also features heavily.
The series' writer, Peter Moffat, also wrote the series Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice (TV series)
Criminal Justice is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2008. Written by Peter Moffat, each five-episode series follows the journey of an individual through the justice system and was first broadcast over five successive nights on BBC One.The first series, first...
and North Square
North Square
North Square is an award-winning British television drama series written by Peter Moffat and broadcast by Channel 4 at the end of 2000. Starring an ensemble cast including Phil Davis, Rupert Penry-Jones, Helen McCrory and Kevin McKidd, the programme is set around the practice of a Leeds Legal...
, as well as an episode of Kavanagh QC
Kavanagh QC
Kavanagh QC is a British television series made by Carlton Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. It has been shown on ITV3 as recently as August 2011; series 1–6 are available on Region 2 DVDs....
. Before the series started, Moffat said in an interview, "I wanted Silk to be full of politics and intrigue. From my experience at the Bar, I felt life in chambers had all of those components, with big stories and lots of courtroom drama—but I wanted to make it as much about barristers and their life in chambers as about the trials".
Cast
| Character | Actor/actress | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Martha Costello | Maxine Peake Maxine Peake Maxine Peake is an English stage, film and television actress known for playing Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies, and, most recently, barrister Martha Costello in BBC legal drama Silk.-Early life:Peake is the second of... |
Defence barrister Barristers in England and Wales Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales... , aspires to become a Silk |
| Clive Reader | Rupert Penry-Jones Rupert Penry-Jones Rupert William Penry-Jones is an English actor, best known for his role as Adam Carter in the British television series Spooks, also broadcast under the title MI-5.-Family life:Penry-Jones was born in London on September 22, 1970... |
Barrister Barristers in England and Wales Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales... , aspires to become a Silk |
| Billy Lamb | Neil Stuke Neil Stuke Neil Stuke , is an English actor notable for playing Matthew in the second and third series of Game On after taking over the role from Ben Chaplin,and for his role as Billy Lamb, Head Clerk in the 2011 BBC television series "Silk"... |
Senior Clerk of the Chambers |
| Nick Slade | Tom Hughes Tom Hughes (actor) Tom Hughes is an English actor, best known for his roles as Jonty Millingden in ITV drama Trinity, Chaz Jankel in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Bruce Pearson in Cemetery Junction, and Nick Slade in BBC legal drama Silk.... |
Pupil, shadows Martha |
| Niamh Cranitch | Natalie Dormer Natalie Dormer Natalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Victoria in Casanova and as the ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Early life and current lifestyle:... |
Pupil, shadows Clive |
| Kate Brockman | Nina Sosanya Nina Sosanya Nina Sosanya is an English actress. She was born in London and her father is Nigerian. She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, gaining A-Levels in Performing Arts.... |
CPS Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the... prosecutor |
| John Bright | John MacMillan John MacMillan John Stewart MacMillan is a retired a Canadian ice hockey forward.MacMillan began his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960. He would also play with the Detroit Red Wings. Macmillan left the NHL following the 1965 season and retired from hockey altogether in 1971... |
Middle Clerk of the Chambers |
| Keith Wearing | Dorian Lough Dorian Lough Dorian Lough is an English actor who plays DS Dave Satchell in Trial & Retribution. He has also recently played Ray Taylor in EastEnders... |
Senior Clerk from a rival Chambers |
Series One
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Ratings (in millions) | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Series Two
A second series of six episodes has been commissioned by the BBC and will air in 2012.Critical reception
Writing in The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, barrister Sarah Palin praised Silk, saying that "the opening episodes do a good job of capturing the relentless pressure of the criminal Bar" and that "the competition for silk, while a useful plot device, also accurately reflects the fiercely competitive nature of the Bar", but added "the characters featured are a little more youthful than their real-life counterparts" and that the storyline in which one of the pupil barristers shoplifts his wig and gown struck "an absurd note". The Telegraph television reviewer, James Walton, compared the series to Moffat's previous production, North Square, but said that Silk was "more viewer-friendly" and the characters "far easier to divide into heroes and villains". He concluded that the first episode was "a perfectly OK hour of telly—marred only by the fact that we’ve come to expect a bit more than that from Moffat." Alex Aldridge of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, meanwhile, called the series "underwhelming" and stated that it implied that cocaine use was "rife" amongst criminal barristers. Also writing in The Guardian, Lucy Mangan implied that the series was predictable and called it "a rare misfire by Peter Moffat
Peter Moffat
Peter Moffat is a British playwright and screenwriter. His first play was called Fine and Private Place and was broadcast on BBC Radio in 1997. His best-known plays are Nabokov's Gloves and Iona Rain....
[...] and aggravated by the squandering of Peake, whose usually overflowing talents seem to have been dammed here rather than encouraged to irrigate an oddly bloodless role".
The first series averaged 5.9 million viewers, consolidated figures show.