# Showtrial (2021)

> A British anthology of hotly contested criminal trials played out under the full glare of the media spotlight.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/113688

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 57 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Ben Richards
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Tracy Ifeachor, Céline Buckens, Kerr Logan, Lolita Chakrabarti, Sharon D. Clarke, Amy Morgan, Sinéad Keenan, James Frain
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11403434/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: tense, sober, gripping, morally weighty

## Synopsis

Showtrial (2021-2024) is a British anthology courtroom drama created by Ben Richards for BBC One. Across two seasons of five episodes each, it dramatizes hotly contested criminal trials that divide the nation and unfold under relentless media scrutiny. Each season is a self-contained case, so the engine of every run is the legal battle itself: prosecutors and defence teams building arguments, witnesses whose credibility is pulled apart, and a public that has already chosen sides long before a verdict is reached. Principal figures in the cast include Tracy Ifeachor as Cleo Roberts, Sinéad Keenan as DI Paula Cassidy, and James Frain as Damian Campbell, with Céline Buckens and Lolita Chakrabarti among the wider ensemble. The tone is tense and sober, with the pressure of headlines and public opinion pressing on every courtroom decision. Fans of The Trial of the Chicago 7, When They See Us and The Staircase will find the same blend of legal rigour and public outrage. Its arc of contested verdicts and fractured public opinion makes for a gripping, morally weighty watch throughout.

## Shows like Showtrial

- [Criminal: UK (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78636)
- [Silk (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/34735)
- [You Don't Know Me (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/115400)
- [The Escape Artist (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/42303)
- [The Twelve (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/79893)
- [Trial by Media (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/86181)
- [The Witness for the Prosecution (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/64719)
- [American Crime (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/54239)
- [Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/94980)
- [Accused (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/125347)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt