The Twelve: ITV1 release date, cast and latest news for drama

The Twelve is based on the original Belgian series of the same name, and follows 12 jurors who must decide the fate of Kate, a woman who stands accused of murdering her teenage niece, and is a thrilling watch, to say the least.

It stars a wigged-up Sam Neill (of Jurassic Park fame) as Brett Colby, no-nonsense legal counsel, while Kate Mulvany (Hunters, The Great Gatsby) stars as the accused. There are also turns from the likes of Marta Dusseldorp (Janet King) and Brendan Cowell (Beneath Hill 60).

With that, here's everything you need to know about The Twelve.

The Twelve release date

The first episode of The Twelve aired on ITV1 on Thursday 28th March at 9pm.

Episodes will continue airing weekly, every Thursday.

For those looking to binge-watch, all 10 episodes are also available to watch now on ITVX.

The Twelve cast

The cast of The Twelve is led by Sam Neill (Jurassic World Dominion, Peaky Blinders) as Brett Colby SC and Kate Mulvany (Hunters, Lambs of God) as the accused, Kate Lawson. Marta Dusseldorp (Stateless) also stars as Lucy Bloom QC.

The complete cast list for The Twelve is as follows:

• Sam Neill as Brett Colby SC
• Kate Mulvany as Kate Lawson
• Marta Dusseldorp as Lucy Bloom QC
• Brendan Cowell as Garry Thorne
• Brooke Satchwell as Georgina Merrick
• Hazem Shammas as Farrad Jessim
• Pallavi Sharda as Corrie D'Souza
• Ngali Shaw as Jarrad Saunders
• Catherine Van-Davies as Vanessa Young
• Bishanyia Vincent as Lily Powell
• Damien Strouthos as Alexi Menelaus
• Nic Cassim as Simon Cavanaugh
• Daniel Mitchell as Peter Brodsky
• Gennie Nevinson as Margaret Brown
• Toby Blome as Greg
• Warren Lee as Trevor Morros
• Susan Kennedy as Melissa Curry
• Jenni Baird as Diane Lawson
• Matt Nable as Nathan Spears
• Silvia Colloca as Sonia Spears
• Coco Jack Gillies as Claire Spears
• Ben Mingay as Flip Menelaus
• Hamish Michael as Jamie Merrick
• Louisa Mignone as Detective Sam Chedid
• Charlotte Lucas as Belinda Bain
• Avishek Sharma as Judge's associate

What is The Twelve about?

This Australian courtroom drama tells the story of 12 ordinary people who are selected for jury duty in a murder trial as traumatising as it is controversial, in which a woman (Mulvany) stands accused of killing her teenage niece.

As the synopsis states: "Behind the façade of their anonymity, these 12 ordinary people bring with them their own histories. Lives that are as complex as the trial, full of fractured dreams, shameful secrets, hope, fears, personal trauma, and prejudice.

"Through the multiple lenses of these jurors, audiences will see the fragility and imbalances of the law, and the chaotic and flawed way we attempt to determine justice in our society."

The Twelve – What is the drama based on?

While a crime drama such as this may seem like it's based on an intriguing real story, this Australian drama is actually based on the 2020 Belgian TV series of the same name (or De Twaalf).

The 2022 Australian version of the series is fairly similar in plot detail to the Flemish-language series, with 12 jurors being called for jury duty in an unusual and emotional case. It centres on Fri Palmers (Maaike Cafmeye), a school headmistress who is accused of two separate murders committed years apart.

The first one was the murder of her best friend on New Year's Day 2000 and the second was the killing of her daughter in 2016. Like the Australian drama, the 10-parter seeks to interrogate the morality, biases and injustice present in the justice system.

While it isn't based on a true story, co-writers Bert Van Dael and Sanne Nuyens said in a Variety interview that their series was inspired by the previous Belgian government's attempt to eradicate the jury system and the desire to focus on the "ordinary people" that are called upon to make such major decisions.

The drama is available to watch in the UK on All 4, as part of its Walter Presents collection, with it also available to watch on Netflix internationally.

Is there a trailer for The Twelve?

There is and it's not only an eerie one, but also shows how the lives of these 12 individuals may overlap for this case, but are also very different and lead to opposing outlooks on the case.

Watch it below.

The Twelve will air on Thursdays at 9pm on ITV1, with all episodes available to stream on ITVX.

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