The jury then retire to begin their deliberations, with Michael Portillo leading the discussions.

They review the evidence that has been presented to them, including the physical and forensic evidence. Is this enough to convict the alleged rapists? While some have great sympathy for Anna, others find the secret recording of her talking to her friend, Clare, about the rape unconvincing and think they may have concocted the story together.

The discussion is intense, emotional and heated and the jurors are acutely aware of the level of responsibility they carry. Several change their minds during the deliberations as they struggle to reach a unanimous or majority verdict.

Finally, they return to the court. The clerk asks the juror selected as foreman to stand and he is asked whether they have found the defendants guilty or not guilty. The verdict has been reached and it is delivered to uproar in the courtroom.

View the original post BBC2 The Verdict: Day Four on Unreality TV

Interviewed by the defence, the porter says that he saw the girls chatting and having fun with the footballers. However, the prosecution suggest that this is because they are regular customers and good tippers, so it is in his best interest to protect them.

The defendants deny having any contact with each other after the allegations came to light. This is something that provokes a lot of discussion amongst the jurors, with many of them finding it odd behaviour for two such long-standing friends. However, Stan thinks that if they had spoken to each other, this would have led the jury to think they have concocted their story between them.

The jury leave court exhausted, frustrated and with many unanswered questions.

Megaman is very quiet over dinner and eventually, after a fraught discussion with Ingrid Tarrant, his frustrations get the better of him and he leaves the room.

Sara Payne has also been deeply affected by what has been happening in court and relates this to her experience during the trial of her daughter’s murderer.

Stan Collymore continues to defend the footballers but some, particularly Honor Blackman, draw on their own experiences to express sympathy for Anna. However, by the end of the meal, most of the jury continue to be undecided as to whether the defendants are guilty or innocent.

View the original post BBC2 The Verdict: Day Three on Unreality TV

The show centres around a fictional rape trial in which 11 celebrities act as the jury and are left to decide whether the two alleged rapists are guilty or not.

Professor Liz Kelly, campaign chairwoman, said: “The Verdict is guilty of trivialising rape. This is reality television that misses much of the reality of rape – for example, the fact that most women are raped by someone they know.

“With rape rarely dealt with at any length by broadcasters, The Verdict is a missed opportunity to show the facts on rape. The bleak truth about rape is that little support or justice exists for women in this country.”

I can defnitely see Professor Kelly’s point and I know that many viewers would agree with her. But I have to say that watching this show has made me and I’m sure millions of other people realise how unfair the judicial system in this country is. If this was a real trial and those two men had committed rape, it would be very difficult to prove and the victim is made a victim all over again at the hand of barristers and the court. TV can change policy’s and laws, we have seen this before. If this show makes people more aware of the failings in the British Justice system, is that a bad thing?

View the original post The Verdict On BBC Two Slammed For Trivialising Rape on Unreality TV

The show follows a fake rape trial with well known celebrities (including Jeffrey Archer) making up the jury.

Reviews have been mixed on the show, and it might be too early to tell if the show will be the success that the BBC is hoping for. Here are a few that have appeared in newspapers today.

Matt Baylis in the Daily Express said:

“We could all probably think of things we’d rather be doing than watching The Verdict. Performing a gall-bladder operation on oneself, for example. Or reading Patrick Kielty’s autobiography. Drinking oil, maybe?” Ouch.

The Guardian’s Nancy Banks-Smith said:

“The Verdict…is reality TV with a touch of class and should be very popular.”

Thomas Sutcliffe in The Independent said:

“With another three episodes to go, it’s a little too early to say whether The Verdict is innocent of the charges of sensationalism and celebrity exploitation that have already been laid against it, but I suspect the defence team will be feeling quietly confident.”

While James Walton in The Daily Telegraph called it

a “very peculiar programme indeed…The sense of tackiness never goes away – but at the same time there’s no denying that it’s often a gripping watch.”

What did you think of the show? Be sure to share!

View the original post First Night Reviews On BBc Twos’ The Verdict on Unreality TV

Next to take the stand is the publicist who sold Anna’s story to a national paper. He attempts to convince the jury that Anna’s best friend, Clare, approached him and secretly taped her friend not because she was interested in money, but because she wanted justice.

Damien Scott then begins giving his evidence. He completely denies the charges and strongly argues his innocence. However, like Anna yesterday who was found to have lied under oath in denying she was a virgin before the alleged rape, Damien is also found to have lied, claiming that he did not have sexual intercourse with Anna. Once incontrovertible evidence is shown to have been found that they did have sex, the jury have to decide whether this was consensual.

Tensions continue to simmer amongst the jury members with Stan Collymore, in particular, concerned that some of the other jurors aren’t taking the case seriously enough or are letting their emotions rule rather than the hard facts. Others feel he has too much baggage and is too concerned to defend the reputation of footballers. Megaman, who has already spent time in prison awaiting his trial for murder, drives home the responsibility they have, explaining how easy it is to send someone down for something they didn’t do.

View the original post BBC2 The Verdict: Day Two on Unreality TV

Over the next four days, they sit in judgement on the trial of a high-profile rape case in a real courtroom, presided over by a real judge, His Honour Neil Denison, QC, with real barristers prosecuting and defending. On the last day, the jury will retire to the jury room to begin their deliberations. Viewers will be able to see exactly how a jury reaches its conclusions.

The other jurors are author and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer; head of the Ann Summers empire Jacqueline Gold; Blur band member Alex James; So Solid Crew member Megaman; Brit Teen Entrepreneur Dominic McVey; actress Patsy Palmer; and the mother who campaigned for Sarah’s law following the murder of her daughter, Sara Payne.

The characters of the two men accused, the alleged victim and the eye witness are all played by actors. One night, last September, the actors took part in an unscripted improvisation. This trial treats the events of that night as if they were real. During the following days, the characters were all questioned by real police officers and forensic evidence was retrieved. Arrests were made, statements were taken, solicitors were instructed and three of the UK’s leading criminal barristers began to prepare their cases. During this trial, the prosecution and the defence are free to argue their cases as they see fit. The trial is totally unscripted.

The case begins with the testimony of 19-year-old Anna Crane, who claims to have been raped following a night out in London with her best friend Clare Golding. She explains how, after seeing a show, she met internationally famous footballer Damien Scott and his friend, James Greer, in a hotel bar.

Breaking down, she says that following an argument with Clare, she was left alone in the room with the men. She claims she was raped by both of them, as well as by one other unknown male.

In the afternoon, Clare takes the stand and tries to explain why she secretly recorded her friend and sold her story to a national newspaper.

Over dinner that evening, the jurors have the opportunity to discuss the case all together.

View the original post BBC2 The Verdict: Day One on Unreality TV

The Verdict – Day One

Twelve well-known faces, including Michael Portillo, Ingrid Tarrant, Stan Collymore, Jennifer Ellison and Honor Blackman, start jury service in The Verdict.

Over the next four days, they sit in judgement on the trial of a high-profile rape case in a real courtroom, presided over by a real judge, His Honour Neil Denison, QC, with real barristers prosecuting and defending. On the last day, the jury will retire to the jury room to begin their deliberations. Viewers will be able to see exactly how a jury reaches its conclusions.

The other jurors are author and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer; head of the Ann Summers empire Jacqueline Gold; Blur band member Alex James; So Solid Crew member Megaman; Brit Teen Entrepreneur Dominic McVey; actress Patsy Palmer; and the mother who campaigned for Sarah’s law following the murder of her daughter, Sara Payne.

The characters of the two men accused, the alleged victim and the eye witness are all played by actors. One night, last September, the actors took part in an unscripted improvisation. This trial treats the events of that night as if they were real. During the following days, the characters were all questioned by real police officers and forensic evidence was retrieved. Arrests were made, statements were taken, solicitors were instructed and three of the UK’s leading criminal barristers began to prepare their cases. During this trial, the prosecution and the defence are free to argue their cases as they see fit. The trial is totally unscripted.

The case begins with the testimony of 19-year-old Anna Crane, who claims to have been raped following a night out in London with her best friend Clare Golding. She explains how, after seeing a show, she met internationally famous footballer Damien Scott and his friend, James Greer, in a hotel bar.

Breaking down, she says that following an argument with Clare, she was left alone in the room with the men. She claims she was raped by both of them, as well as by one other unknown male.

In the afternoon, Clare takes the stand and tries to explain why she secretly recorded her friend and sold her story to a national newspaper.

Over dinner that evening, the jurors have the opportunity to discuss the case all together.

View the original post The Verdict: Coming Soon To BBC2 on Unreality TV

The full line up is:

Jeffrey Archer – former Tory MP and author;

Honor Blackman – actress;

Stan Collymore – footballer;

Jennifer Ellison – actress;

Jacqueline Gold – head of the Ann Summers empire;

Alex James – Blur band member;

MegaMan – So Solid Crew member;

Dominic McVey – millionaire teen entrepreneur;

Patsy Palmer – actress;

Sara Payne – mother who campaigned for Sarah’s law;

Michael Portillo – former Conservative MP and broadcaster;

Ingrid Tarrant – separated from TV presenter Chris Tarrant.

The trial lasted for four days and Stephen Lambert, head of TV company RDF which made the show, said: “We were amazed by how seriously they treated the task and how emotionally involving it became for all of them.” He added that despite accusations of sensationalism, they decided on a rape case “because it is so clearly two interpretations of reality.”

View the original post Celebrity Lineup Revealed For BBC2′s The Verdict on Unreality TV