Scottish Suits?
Legal Cheek readers may be interested in a new drama confirmed by the BBC, which follows the lives of young lawyers working Scotland’s “high-octane” legal scene.
The BBC’s latest original drama, Counsels, is set in Glasgow and spans eight, hour-long episodes. It centres on five lawyers navigating high-stakes courtroom battles and equally intense personal lives, brought to life through “punchy” and “characterful” storytelling.
Scattered across the legal profession since graduating from an “elite” law school, the BBC press release says “some will rise to the top, while others risk losing everything” when the friends-turned-opponents/learned friends “lock horns” in heavyweight litigation. Besides the “legal battlefield” viewers can bank on scandalous love affairs, toxic relationships, and fracturing friendships where, quote, “the fight for justice threatens to tear them all apart.” Electrifying.
Expect authenticity, thanks to the immersive research led by co-writers Bryan Elsley and Gillian McCormack, a Glasgow native, into the city’s legal scene. According to Elsley, they’ve had unique access to Glasgow lawyers’ experiences. McCormack describes their resulting characters as just like Glasgow itself — “gritty” but “humorous”.
With the focus on court, don’t expect too many “punchy, fast-moving” scenes prepping disclosure in a skyscraper at 3am to keep BBC viewers hooked. And besides advocacy tips, you’re not likely to get much tort revision binging Counsels, given the distinct Scots legal system…
McCormack graduated from the BBC’s homegrown Drama Room after a PR background. Elsley, meanwhile, has a strong CV in ensemble pieces from his Skins, the iconic drama based on sixth former life. Elsley also wrote The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star — a 90s comedy about a Glaswegian band seeking success. No doubt the law called for a more dramatic angle. Viewers may otherwise know Elsley’s work from Netflix drama Kiss me First.
Counsels is set to air on BBC One and iPlayer.
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