Showtrial star Tracy Ifeachor has spoken about the ‘tough’ preparation she went through before starring in the new BBC legal drama.
The new series from the makers of Line of Duty focuses on both sides of a gripping investigation, with legal teams attempting to discover the truth about the actions of Talitha Campbell who stands accused of conspiring to murder a fellow student.
Tracy takes on the role of duty solicitor Cleo Roberts, who finds herself in the middle of the mystery after taking on the case to defend the daughter of a wealthy property developer.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Tracy discussed her preparation for the part – and revealed how sitting in on court sessions tested her emotionally.
‘I actually got to go to court and hear some cases being read, Tracy told us. ‘That was really tough. It was hard to think that someone could have had the ability to be so cruel to somebody, and take somebody’s life. That was really hard.’
She added: ‘I think one of the things for me that was hard at the time, not so much now, is the question of how can you defend someone who you know is guilty, or that you strongly suspect is guilty?’
Expanding on her findings, the actress added: ‘The point that I found is that if you deny justice for the guilty, you deny it for the innocent. So I really had to challenge myself on that.
‘Everybody deserves justice, and justice shouldn’t be for sale. Those are some of the things that I had to grapple with.’
The new five-part series is set to kick off on BBC One tonight – but could we see more episodes in the future?
Tracy added: ‘Obviously, every artist hopes their projects get a chance to grow and continue to live on.
As for [a possible series] two, well, Cleo Roberts is a solicitor and this story is about one of Cleo’s cases. She’s a lawyer, she’s going to go on whatever the verdict, to the next case, so who knows? I’d love to know what the next one would be.’
Before Showtrial, Tracy was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Abigail Naismith in both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas special, The End of Time.
In the meantime, we’ve got plenty to look forward to as the episodes arrive weekly on BBC One – with the episodes available to view in one go on the BBC iPlayer.
‘From arrest to verdict, Cleo and defence vie with the prosecution to convince us of the truth about Talitha: Damaged scapegoat? Or cold-blooded killer?’ the official synopsis reads.
‘The right to a fair trial and the idea of reasonable doubt lie at the heart of a civilised society,’ show writer Ben Richards said.
‘Showtrial explores how they can be distorted by other factors, in a world where concepts such as fairness, doubt and reason are afforded such diminishing value.’
Showtrial airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
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