By FleetUSA. 5 stars or more for this series in terms of great acting, interesting characters, and well written plots. 0 stars in terms of realistic court situations as it would apply in the U.S. Under the American system, Deeds would be out on his ear in no time (hopefully). The fact that the Judge leads counsel on both sides asking the unasked question which might be on the jury's mind is fine in my opinion, but.. The American system wouldn't countenance the close (!) relationship between the Judge and beautiful defense attorney (probably in later episodes he will bed a prosecution counsel too). Martin Shaw, Jenny Seagrove, and Donald Sinden are great actors. Sinden is perfect as the sinecure senior judge. He was first popular in TV as the male part of Two's Company. Some have compared this to Rumpole but I think Rumpole is closer to the truth in legal terms even though Rumpole is meant as a comedy. Don't miss if you like British court mysteries. Subtitles are good too if you need them. fleetusa@gmail.com