Showtrial writer explains why season 2 doesn't bring back any existing characters
Ben Richards explained the decision was made primarily for the sake of "basic realism".
We're now just days away from the return of courtroom drama Showtrial, but fans hoping to reunite with Tracy Ifeachor's Cleo and Céline Buckens's Talitha will be disappointed.
That's because the show has followed an anthology format, with the second season telling a whole new story with a brand new set of characters, this time played by the likes of Adeel Akhtar and Michael Socha.
Of course, some anthology shows still bring a few characters back to show the series is set in the same 'world', but speaking at a recent Q&A, creator Ben Richards explained why he didn't go down that route for Showtrial.
"I think in the end, it was a kind of all or nothing thing, you sort of can't do 'a bit'," he explained. "And I think that was the problem. And for sort of basic realism, it would just be really implausible to have the same lawyers on another huge case like that.
"So I think we just decided best to go with the more realistic scenario, which is another case in another town, different lawyers. And keeping one would have actually just felt really odd."
Richards also spoke about how the new suspect in season 2's case compares with Talitha in season 1, saying: "In some ways, a suspect in a case like this, the suspect is the most interesting character, and you've got to make the suspect reach out and grab the audience.
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"They're both attitudinal, but attitudinal for very different reasons. Talitha was largely based on class privilege, but then underneath it there was a very different, more vulnerable character, and actually that is very similar in some ways with Justin.
"Because obviously what you see in episode 1 isn't necessarily the whole story. I think the interesting thing is, yes, very cocky on the surface, but there's quite a lot going on under the surface."
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Season 2 focuses on the case surrounding the hit-and-run death of a climate change activist, who identified a police officer, played by Socha, as the culprit before he died.
Akhtar plays defence attorney Sam Malick, while the cast also includes Nathalie Armin, Joe Dempsie, Fisayo Akinade, Tom Padley, Kerrie Hayes, Barney Fishwick and Francesca Annis.
Showtrial will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 6th October.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
