Season 1
Silk is a British television drama series created and written by Peter Moffat and produced by the BBC which follows a set of barristers and their life at the Bar, the dilemmas and problems that modern day barristers have to face and what they do to attain the rank of Queen's Counsel, known as "taking silk".
The series premiered in the UK on BBC One on 22 February, 2011.
Silk premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Sunday 6 January 2013, at 20h30. After Episode 3 the time changed to Sundays at 21h00, beginning with Episode 4 on 27 January. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are six episodes in the first season.
Season 1
Maxine Peake, Rupert Penry-Jones, Neil Stuke, Natalie Dormer and Tom Hughes star in Silk, a drama series about the lives, loves and hard cases facing barristers on the front line of criminal law, written by BAFTA award-winning writer Peter Moffat.
Silk is a big, bold, fast-paced insight into the world of the criminal Bar, showing legal eagles at work and play.
Maxine Peake is Martha Costello, mid-thirties, single, passionate, a defence barrister applying for silk. Martha is faced with challenging cases and surprising clients. Her beliefs and prejudices, her conscience and her faith in the criminal justice system are tested to the limit over the course of the series.
Clive Reader, played by Rupert Penry-Jones, is funny, gifted and dangerous. He's the same age as Martha and they are called to the Bar together. Both are applying for silk – how they perform in court is vital to this process and Clive knows how to play the game.
Neil Stuke plays Billy Lamb, Senior Clerk in chambers. He's a man of many parts, lots of contradictions, and has the lives and careers of his barristers under his control. He is dedicated to Martha – he loves her straight talking and lack of guile – even if secretly he believes that she hasn't got a chance of being made a QC.
Nick Slade, played by Tom Hughes, is Martha's pupil. Niamh Cranitch, played by Natalie Dormer, is Clive's pupil. Both are thrown in at the deep end and as 'baby barristers' must sink or swim.
Stand up in court and show you can cut it. Or forget about making it at the Bar. Only one pupil will be taken on as a member of chambers at the end of the series. Who will it be and why? How will Martha and Clive influence the outcome?
Silk was commissioned by Danny Cohen, Controller BBC One and Ben Stephenson, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning. The executive producer is Hilary Salmon (Criminal Justice, Five Days).
The producer is Richard Stokes and lead director is Peter Hoar.