Is The Jury: Murder Trial based on a real case? Channel 4 experiment explained
CHANNEL 4 are unleashing their brand new show, The Jury: Murder Trial.
The series examines the legal system by seeing if a jury split into two can come up with the same verdict.
Is The Jury: Murder Trial based on a real case?
The Jury: Murder Trial examines the jury system for the first time on British television by recreating an entire, real murder trial .
The series uses the original transcripts in front of 24 jurors, randomly split into two juries, neither of whom are aware of the other.
The show is an innovative true crime experiment that gives the public an insight into the British jury system.
Channel 4
Filmed over ten days, in a former courthouse in Essex, the series takes a forensic look at the inner workings of justice.
The two juries will be asked to judge on the real case of a man who admits he killed his wife, but whose defence maintains that he lost control, and is therefore not guilty of murder.
What will happen on The Jury: Murder Trial?
In The Jury: Murder Trial, there are two juries of members of the public.
They all come from different walks of life and have different backgrounds, some of which may give them unique bearings on events.
These two groups of people are shown a re-enactment of a real murder trial.
Names, dates and locations are changed in the dramatization, but the rest is based on transcripts from the case.
The original trial is re-enacted word for word, with actors playing the witnesses and legal teams and the two juries given all original evidence.
The man on trial admits he killed his wife, but his defence is that he lost control.
This would allow him to be convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter, which does not carry an automatic life sentence.
Both juries wrestle with how to determine this.
Individually, these two juries will then decide on the fate of the defendant, using their own life experiences to decide the verdict.
Bosses at Channel 4 said: “The show is an innovative true crime experiment that gives the public an insight into the British jury system.
“Our campaign spotlights how, for example, a juror being hungover or tired might be as likely to sway a verdict as the facts of the case.
“With one trial and two juries, it’s fascinating to see whether the same verdict will be reached by both.”
The show explores whether the two different juries made up of completely different people will reach the same verdict.
How can I watch The Jury: Murder Trial?
The Jury: Murder Trial runs over four consecutive nights.
The four part series kicks off on February 26, 2024 at 9pm on Channel 4.
The show will run at the same time, ending on February 26, 2024.
Episodes will also be able to be streamed on the Channel 4 website.