Judge John Deed : Complete BBC Series 2 [2001]

Amazon.co.uk Review

Martin Shaw's Judge John Deed is proving to be a reliable ratings winner for the BBC. And it's not too tricky to see why.

The set-up is simple. Shaw's title character is a senior, experienced Judge who presides over an assortment of cases in his court room. Behind the scenes though, he's a crusader of sorts, battling it out with the establishment, right through to members of the Cabinet. Deed is a man, of course, who's not averse to a few problems of his own in his private life, not least with the opposite sex, and when you mix all of these factors together, it seems like a good, solid, reliable cocktail for an hour of drama.

What lifts it above that though is Shaw's superb performance as Judge John Deed. To be fair, he's given some questionably far-fetched material to work with across the duration of this second series (all the episodes of which are collected on this double DVD set), but he nonetheless remains magnetic when he hits his stride, and Judge John Deed as a result is rightly enjoying its fair share of success.

You won't always agree with Judge John Deed, and at times, you're likely to find yourself outright perplexed. But never, ever, less than entertained. Recommended. --Jon Foster

Customer Reviews:

The TV critics spot on for once.......2008-03-11

Although there are only four episodes to Series 2, this is top quality. Martin Shaw is perfect in the part, as the Judge who believes in justice at any price, in his court, even if it means falling out with MPs, the Executive, other Judges, and opposing Councils, occasionally.

You really will enjoy this even more, if you have seen Series 1, because you will find it easier to 'instantly' understand the role of all the other characters. All good stuff, one way or the other.

Hold on to your britches. Here comes John Deed.......2008-01-18

"Judge John Deed" is one of the best shows on TV at the moment. Not that that is saying very much since television programmes are pretty abysmal. I should know because I was a TV critic for our main newspaper; so I was exposed to quite a lot of rubbish. Since I was in the enviable position of choosing what I wanted to review, however, I usually chose British programmes. But even British programmes have declined in quality nowadays.

Whereas British TV as well as the movie industry were elitist in the past, the rest of the United Kingdom caught up and now there are programmes based all over the U.K. This is a good thing, of course, since it's more representative of the entire country. We may have trouble understanding what the Northerners and the Irish are saying, but it's great to have fresh inspiration.

Sadly, though, some of the dramas are very miserable. Gritty, drug-addicted, porno, sleaze. Realistic, no doubt, but depressing. I always feel like I want to have a purging shower after watching one of those programmes.

But somebody must be enjoying watching all this misery or they wouldn't be produced.

I used to love wandering around Oxford with Inspector Morse, having a cup of tea with Inspector Wexford, counting the bodies in "Midsomer Murders" and knitting with Miss Marple. Then there is a favourite, "Foyle's War." I know the world is safe in Michael Kitchen's hands. Best of all, of course, was "A Touch of Frost." Wow!

It's been a long time since a good courtroom series has come to our sets and "Judge John Deed" is certainly absorbing. The points of law, the courtroom scenes, the conflicts of interest, all make for exciting viewing.

If the producers had left it at that it would have been brilliant. But the good old judge has one flaw. He is a satyr, so when it comes to sex he just goes crazy. He simply can't help sniffing around every female, be she a psychiatrist, witness, a barrister, a defendant. He's ready and raring to go. I suppose the producers had to cater for the plebs and an episode without the ubiquitous shagging would have lost ratings.

He's having an "on and off" affair with a barrister, the erratic Mrs Mills portrayed by Jenny Seagrove. She apparently disapproves of the fact that Deed is also having it off with anything that moves. The legal establishment is trying to catch him at it so that they can get rid of Deed and this is the thread in the series. There are government spies who spend most of their day walking up and down corridors discussing the foibles of Deed.

Frankly, I wish that the entire series would concentrate on the court cases and leave the rest to Big Brother or something. Whilst not a fan of Martin Shaw, I think he does fairly well in pulling off the role of judge. He certainly looks more impressive in his judge's robes than out of them.

I think the series is intelligent and dramatic and well worth watching. I now record the show and fast forward the tedious bits about Deed's private life. Mind you, I did that with the British hospital series called "Bodies" and found there was hardly anything left to watch.

Great - BUT!!.......2007-03-24

Superb stuff an all aspects bar one, and that is the utterely useless "Charly", the judges daughter. Not only is she hopeless, but the idiotic character she plays is detrimental to the shows. Producer, please get rid of her.

Excellent.......2007-02-23

Before watching the series of Judge John Deed i really didnt see what all the fuss was about. Afterwards i changed my tune. This production is what i must call essential viewing for anyone thinking of going onto the bar. Although some of the decisions are abit outlandish, they are still within the law. In my opinion JJD has more finess than other court dramas such a Rumpole of K.QC. And Shaw is an added extra.

Worth the wait..........2007-02-17

My wife and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this second series to DVD. It is a terrific show. The actors and acting are superb. The entire cast is perfectly cast - which seems to be the case with all of our favorites. The story lines are most engaging. What more do you want from TV? We can only hope that subsequent seasons are released soon...

Judge John Deed : Pilot & Complete BBC Series 1 [2001]

Average customer rating:

Fabulous
This is entertainment
comic book capers
Doesn't excite me
As good as it gets

Judge John Deed : Pilot & Complete BBC Series 1 [2001]
Starring: Martin Shaw , and Jenny Seagrove
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000ESSTBK
Release Date: 2006-05-08

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous.......2008-03-02

Well what can say - this show has me addicted! I found myself amazed that I would get this into a courtroom drama series as, I admit, the concept is slightly cheesy, but this is fantastic. Give it a go and you will not be disappointed.

The character of Judge John Deed is excellently portrayed by Martin Shaw and who backed up by a fabulous cast. The series mixes court events with the personal lives of the characters which makes it all the more spicy. The judge himself is a bit of a rebel - going professionally where others would fear to tread. In addition to this he still finds the time to go after his former lover Mrs Mills, have the odd random snog with his ex-wife (George Channing) and get it on with lady Francesca (the home secretary's wife I think) - sometimes all in one episode - what a man! There is also a sad side to the judge regarding his casual exploits and one gets the feeling that he really would like to make a go of it with Mrs Mills who is unimpressed by his womanising and won't have him. That said, it still doen't stop the old man from having a crack at the ladies surrounding him - hilarious and strangely charming!

This is entertainment.......2008-02-26

This series has been criticized for not being legally correct but how entertaining would a precise portrayal of a court case be and how many legal drama's or films are ever truly accurate. The series tackles serious issues which we hear about all the time, and even if the procedural details are not quite right, at least we are presented with interesting and thought provoking cases. I would rather watch and listen to an advocate of decency like Deed (OK, so yes he does bed hop) than a soap like 'Eastenders' in which the characters are constantly at each others throats. The language has also been criticized as odd. Watching this again I was amused to hear Sir Ian Rochester say of Deed, 'who will rid me of this judge'. I would rather listen to correct if occasionally theatrical grammar than the ugly sounding bad grammar of programs like 'Eastenders' or 'Big Brother'.
The problem with all fictional characters, in crime drama especially, is that they will always lead more colouful lives. How many forensic scientists such as Sam Ryan (Silent Witness) confront the murderer themselves or how many detectives such as Morse get so many interesting cases or are framed for murder.
I rest my case for the defence of an excellent, entertaining drama.

comic book capers.......2008-01-07

I cannot believe the number of people who give this 5 stars. It is nonsense from start to finish. From the legal point of view, it is impossible that such behaviour from a judge would ever be tolerated (speaking about cases in which he is sitting, not only with counsel but also witnesses, etc.) and the behaviour of his associates is barely more acceptable. As for the plots, they are comic book parody. The scripts are wooden and a lot of the acting likewise. As a drama it gets one star - as an ironical comedy it would get more, but unfortunately that is not what it is meant to be.

Doesn't excite me.......2007-11-14

Okay: we have a judge who takes the law into his own hands in terms of
manipulating court cases. I wouldn't want to appear in court when he
presides. His eco-warrior daughter keeps getting in trouble which daddy
irons out by pulling strings in the legal world. The message seems to
be that there is a law for common people and for Jugde Deed. Apart from
the fact that part of bringing up a child is making him/ her to accept
responsibility. So he is not the nicest person on earth. Shaw acts
fairly extrovert. Overall you get the impression it's Shaw's character
Doyle acting as a judge. You keep expecting a silver Capri to appear.
In fact it's a silver Porsche. His womanizing is completely over the
top. The stories are fairly boring but the insights in the British
legal system are interesting.

As good as it gets.......2007-11-06

The BBC, beleaguered as they are from time to time, rarely fail when it comes to either documentary making or drama and with Judge John Deed, yet again they reinforce their stranglehold on this genre.

This program is a huge step up from the long running but dated 'Crown Court' from the 70's and early 80's. Gripping, riveting, call it what you like, from intial broadcast in late 2001, each episode had me glued as few others have.

Some of the storylines are very thought provoking indeed, which is not a bad thing, and the cast is superb, particularly the haughty yet divine Caroline Langrishe and the quietly delectable Jenny Seagrove. Martin Shaw, in the title role as the somewhat unconventional High Court Judge, is excellent

My only moan ( well more of a niggle, really ) is that the constant efforts by the upper echelons to either keep this maverick in check or engineer his removal as he repeatedly crosses swords with the establishment are a tad overdone. That said, it really is program making of the absolute highest calibre.

I cannot believe anyone would be disappointed with this release - let's just hope the rest of the series is imminent.

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