French
DeutschThe Bench (TV series)
| The Bench | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by |
|
| Written by | Catherine Treganna |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Matthew Robinson |
| Producer | Karen Lewis |
| Production location | Wales |
| Editor | Will Oswald |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | BBC Wales |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 17 October 2001 – 13 June 2002 |
The Bench is a Welsh television legal drama series, co-created by Matthew Robinson and lead writer Catherine Treganna, that first broadcast on BBC One Wales from 17 October 2001.[1] The English-language series follows the daily lives of a group of the prosecutors and defenders of a busy magistrates court, including long suffering Des Davies (Mark Lewis Jones) and young whippersnapper Ranjit Singh (Phaldut Sharma).
Two series of the programme were broadcast, having been filmed back-to-back during the summer of 2001. The series was initially broadcast at 8:30pm on Fridays on BBC One Wales, before being repeated in their entirety an afternoon slot nationwide on BBC One from 27 May 2002.[2] A late night repeat on BBC Two followed in June 2008.[3] The series won three BAFTA Cymru awards in 2003,[4] with Eiry Thomas winning Best Actress, Bill Broomfield winning Best Director of Photography for a drama series and Will Oswald winning Best Editor.[5]
Neither series has been released on DVD, but in 2020, both were released in their entirety on Amazon Prime Video under a deal with Acorn TV, making them available in the United States for the first time.[6]
Cast
[edit]- Mark Lewis Jones as Des Davies
- Phaldut Sharma as Ranjit Singh
- Eiry Thomas as Cheryl Cates
- Eluned Jones as Val Sullivan
- Philip McGough as Peter Mansell
- Clive Willbond-Hill as Colin Francis
- Roger Evans as Hugh Evans
- Brian Hibbard as Ralph Jenkins
- Lesley Vickerage as Katharine Tyrell
- Anita Reynolds as Nita Jones
- Martin Cole as Wayne Hayward
- Rachel Isaac as Ange Collins
- Siwan Morris as Leanne Phillips
Episodes
[edit]Series 1 (2001)
[edit]| Episode | Title | Director | Writer | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 17 October 2001 | |
| A hungover Des expects defending a local publican to be a walkover, but has not reckoned on the skills of new prosecutor Cheryl Cates. And for some young girls, the real drama takes place outside the courtroom. | |||||
| 2 | TBA | Emlyn Williams | Catherine Treganna | 24 October 2001 | |
| Leanne is trying to make a new life for herself, but her previous boyfriend has other plans. Meanwhile, Mrs Dee is determined to bring her son to justice. | |||||
| 3 | TBA | Emlyn Williams | Roger Williams | 31 October 2001 | |
| A family are left devastated after the death of a daughter in a road accident. | |||||
| 4 | TBA | Emlyn Williams | Roger Williams | 7 November 2001 | |
| Farmer Parry is accused of neglecting his animals, while Ange is accused of neglecting her baby. | |||||
| 5 | TBA | Emlyn Williams | Jon Treganna | 14 November 2001 | |
| Ranjit and Des place a bet on the outcome of a case involving a violent feud between two cockle-picking families. | |||||
| 6 | TBA | Emlyn Williams | Catherine Treganna | 21 November 2001 | |
| Matrimonial issues are on the agenda – not just in court, but behind the scenes as well. | |||||
| 7 | TBA | Keith Washington | Catherine Treganna | 28 November 2001 | |
| Simon and Gareth are in court to give evidence against Natalie, but find their relationship under scrutiny. | |||||
| 8 | TBA | Keith Washington | Catherine Treganna | 5 December 2001 | |
| Two teenagers give Des a hard time when he tries to defend them. A young doctor has to decide whether to tell the truth when confronted by the patient who assaulted her. | |||||
| 9 | TBA | Keith Washington | Catherine Treganna | 12 December 2001 | |
| Des and Ranjit fall out when Leanne and Brink re-appear in court on charge of possession. Meanwhile, Katherine is desperate for Hugh to open the box. | |||||
| 10 | TBA | Keith Washington | Jon Tregenna | 19 December 2001 | |
| Leanne's future hangs in the balance, forcing Des and Ranjit to examine their role in events. | |||||
Series 2 (2002)
[edit]| Episode | Title | Director | Writer | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBA | Keith Washington | Jon Tregenna | 12 April 2002 | |
| A mother and daughter are both on trial and must decide who takes the blame. Des can't resist being mean to a new rival. | |||||
| 2 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 19 April 2002 | |
| When two desperate parents fight to get their children out of the care of social services, the magistrates must make a tough and heartbreaking decision. Katharine faces a crisis in her personal life. | |||||
| 3 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 26 April 2002 | |
| When a defendant arrives drunk and disorderly for his trial, proceedings dissolve into chaos. Meanwhile, a loyal grandmother tries every trick in the book to win her grandson bail. | |||||
| 4 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 3 May 2002 | |
| A married man's one night stand leads to bitterness and recrimination in and out of the courtroom. Cheryl's stressful day brings her closer to one of her colleagues. | |||||
| 5 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 10 May 2002 | |
| Hugh faces a stark choice between his career and his personal loyalty to a defendant. Des has something to celebrate. | |||||
| 6 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 17 May 2002 | |
| A father faces every parent's nightmare when his teenage son appears in court. Des is on a high in his personal life, but could get out of this depth when he decides to take on a hardened criminal as a client. | |||||
| 7 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 29 May 2002 | |
| Ranjit realizes a client has become over-attached, and Des is compromised by his involvement with a criminal family. Work threatens to damage their personal lives. | |||||
| 8 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Jason Sutton | 5 June 2002 | |
| The magistrates are eagerly anticipating the ballot to decide the chair of Penbridge Magistrates' court. The friendship of rival candidates Val and Peter faces its greatest test. | |||||
| 9 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Jason Sutton | 12 June 2002 | |
| The press descend on the court for the sentencing of a teacher who had a relationship with a pupil. Meanwhile Des and Cheryl reach crisis point. Featuring Ruth Jones as Mandy Jenkins | |||||
| 10 | TBA | Matthew Evans | Catherine Treganna | 13 June 2002 | |
| When his client frames an innocent man, Des is not only compromised, but in great danger. | |||||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "BBC press release". BBC Press Office. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "BBC Programme Index".
- ^ "BBC Two - the Bench, Series 1 - Episode guide".
- ^ "Court drama scoops awards". BBC News. 27 April 2003. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards, Wales, April 26, 2003". IMDb. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Watch the Bench | Prime Video". Amazon UK.
References
[edit]- My name should be Bond WalesOnline interview with Martin Cole.
- Dennis and Joan celebrating roles in Spielberg blockbuster WalesOnline interview with Dennis and Joan Williams.