G.F. Newman (Writer)

Judge John Deed

Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.

Release Date2001-11-26

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count3

Vote Count10

New Street Law

The exploits and cases of two rival barristers' chambers with very different attitudes to justice.

Release Date2006-05-04

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Episode Count14

Vote Count8

For the Greater Good

While three politicians try to reform Britain’s brutal prison system, the tabloid press publish exposés of their scandalous private lives, leaving their careers in peril.

Release Date1991-03-20

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count3

Law & Order

Law & Order is a series of four British television plays written by G. F. Newman and directed by Les Blair. It was first transmitted in 1978 on BBC2.

Release Date1978-04-06

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count4

Vote Count2

The Nation's Health

The Nation's Health is a 4 episode series written by G.F.Newman based on his book of the same name, originally broadcast on the fledgling Channel 4 UK TV channel in 1983. The series consists of four episodes that are, in order, titled: Acute, Decline, Chronic, and Collapse. In it we are faced with a maelstrom of political issues, illnesses, fatalities, personal greed and professional vanities. As may be clear from these titles, the series draws a relentlessly bleak view of the NHS in 1980s Britain. The protagonist of the series is a newly-qualified doctor, Jessie Marvill (Vivienne Ritchie). The series follows Jessie through four different sectors of the NHS, although the episodes are not focused entirely through Jessie: the NHS is seen from a variety of different perspectives, from doctors and patients to administrators and kitchen staff.

Release Date1983-10-06

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count4

Number One

A down on his luck Irishman in London decides to play snooker for money.

Release Date1985-03-01

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count2

Nineteen96

Britain in the mid-1990s: a divided, violent nation where civil disorder and urban terrorism are on the increase. Scotland Yard detective Commander Jack Bentham is seconded to Wales to look into a series of shootings by police officers, and uncovers a complex web of deceit and corruption

Release Date1989-09-17

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Here Is the News

Freelance journalist David Dunhill stumbles onto the biggest story of his career - but his personal eccentricities seem likely to thwart him.

Release Date1989-03-05

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

The Take

A policeman in New Mexico takes payoff money but still manages to go after a racketeer.

Release Date1974-05-01

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count3

Black and Blue

When a local black politician is murdered an undercover police officer unveils a web of police corruption which puts lives at risk and threatens the whole community.

Release Date1992-09-27

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

The Healer

Alberto, a Colombian migrant, has the gift of healing but can't heal his own dark past. Working in London to send money home, he is tortured by dark visions, that will determine his own destiny - Your future is in his hands.

Release Date1994-04-01

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Billy

Billy is a rather withdrawn little boy, untalkative for even a four-year-old. Who cares what happens to Billy when his father hits him?

Release Date1979-11-13

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter