The Murder Trial (Channel 4)

Being a television first, I thought this would be an interesting watch as a media student. On the other hand, it's a subject that I'm interested in.

I thought it was a really good idea to be able to see into a court with a real-life case as it's an experience that many people don't get (thankfully) and the only insight we do have is usually through TV dramas. These fictional events are obviously based on the real procedure but they are often exaggerated for the purpose of the story, and they're scripted.

Having read the article about the programme beforehand in the Radio Times, I was a bit wary of what it was going to be like but was surprised to find just how much I was able to get into it and I really enjoyed it. The case really drew you in and made you evaluate the evidence for yourself and keeping asking "did he or didn't he" throughout. I came to the conclusion that he was guilty but was still surprised that the jury came to this conclusion as well since I thought they wouldn't have a verdict either way. I also thought that the farmer knew more than he was letting on but the interviews with him conducted after the court case, where he had the benefit of hindsight, told another story about him and we were shown a side to him that suggested he was innocent.

I think Channel 4 done really well by not having a narrator to tell the story but letting it guide itself through the the way in which they edited it together. By having interviews with the accused daughter outside of the court proceedings, the programme felt more balanced and took into account the human side of this story.

It was really nice to be able to see the barristers in between sessions as this took the tension away from proceedings and meant that the audience got a break and chance to relax with them. They were able to make light of their work and you got an insight into the real person instead of just the profession.

This is something that I would definitely like to see more on TV and think that Channel 4 would suit this well as a platform. The issues surrounding having cameras in court is one that I think could be eradicated in time. Some held the views that people would play up to the cameras but if this became the norm so that every case was filmed regardless of whether it was destined for TV or not would sort this out. Surely having cameras in a court room can only help - safety, education purposes.