Silk: #10 – S02 E04 – Wooden Overcoat – Maxine Peake, Rupert Penrys-Jones, Neil Stuke

Silk is a British television drama series produced by the BBC which was broadcast over three series on BBC One between 22 February 2011 and 31 March 2014. Created by Peter Moffat, the series follows the daily goings on of Shoe Lane Chambers and its members in their personal and professional lives.

This Episode

Martha defends a prison van driver accused of neglect and manslaughter after a claustrophobic prisoner dies while in his care.

The Series

The series’ writer, Peter Moffat, also wrote the series Criminal Justice and North Square, as well as an episode of Kavanagh QC. Before the series started, Moffat said in an interview, “I wanted Silk to be full of politics and intrigue. From my experience at the Bar, I felt life in chambers had all of those components, with big stories and lots of courtroom drama—but I wanted to make it as much about barristers and their life in chambers as about the trials”

Silk follows barristers from a set of criminal law chambers in London. The series’ main focus is on Martha Costello (Maxine Peake) and her ambition to become Queen’s Counsel as well as on her rival, Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones). Martha achieves her ambition at the end of Series One, leaving Clive disappointed. He however becomes a QC in the opening episode of Series 3. The chambers’ senior clerk, Billy Lamb (Neil Stuke), also features heavily in the series.^[1] In series 3, Miranda Raison joins the show as Harriet Hammond who is a thorn in the side of Billy, as well as a confidante, supporter, and potential love interest for Clive Reader