The Innocence Project
Episode synopses
Episode One
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Fact: the British justice system sometimes gets it wrong.
Under the guidance of inspirational Professor Jon Ford (Lloyd Owen), The Innocence Project team – Beth (Ruth Bradley), Adam (Luke Treadaway), Nick (Oliver James), Andrew (Stephen Graham) and Sarah (Christine Bottomley), a group of dynamic, first-year law students – investigates possible miscarriages of justice.
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A convicted killer, Luke Talbot (Steve Evets), has always proclaimed his innocence and the team start to review the case against him, which appears uncertain.
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While still going through the serious business of growing up at university, the students search for new evidence which could set him free.
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Nick also finds himself on the wrong side of the criminal justice system – which could mean the end of his legal career before it's even started.
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Supporting Cast Episode One
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Jodie Winters ... Fiona Clark
Luke Talbot ... Steve Evets
Rena Farooq ... Louisa Eyo
Desmond Mathers ... Richard Heap
Ronald Locke ... Derek Hicks
Francis Hurst ... Andy Hockley
Karen Wylie ... Denise Kennedy
Roy Allen ... James Lauren
Preacher ... Seamus O'Neil
David Cullen ... Jason Pitt
Police Officer ... James Stapleton
Angela Jarrett ... Saira Todd
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Episode Two
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Beth (Ruth Bradley) tries to convince an apparently unenthusiastic Ford (Lloyd Owen) about the merits of a case in which the infallibility of fingerprint evidence comes under scrutiny.
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Vulnerable Martin Toal (Henry Miller) retracted a confession of murder, even though his fingerprints were found at the crime scene. He's now serving life. Beth believes the system has let Toal down.
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Adam is mentoring a young boy, Dizzy (Thomas Turgoose) – but trying to overturn his ASBO is loaded with difficulty.
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With her mother (played by the actress's real-life mother, Charlotte Bradley) putting extra pressure on her, Beth finds herself with more on her plate than she can handle.
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Supporting Cast Episode Two
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Mylene ... Michelle Bateman
Hazel McNair ... Charlotte Bradley
Emmett Brogan ... Jason Furnival
Martin Toal ... Henry Miller
Clinton Jowett ... Martin Walsh
Morris Toal ... Alan Williams
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Episode Three
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Adam (Luke Treadaway) tries to understand how a murder conviction can be beyond reasonable doubt – when there is no body.
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John McKenna (James Foster) may have been convicted of murdering his common-law wife, but her body has never been found.
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Meanwhile, Ford (Lloyd Owen) makes Nick (Oliver James) struggle with a case that is over 300 years old – an attempt to prove the innocence of a woman who was executed as a witch.
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Sarah (Christine Bottomley) is caught off-guard when her boyfriend from home, Craig (Liam Boyle), turns up with an unexpected proposal.
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Supporting Cast Episode Three
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Fiona Kinsella ... Dorothy Atkinson
Louise Williams ... Gillian Baskeyfield
Craig ... Liam Boyle
John McKenna ... James Foster
Della Doyle ... Daryl Fishwick
Letitia Bathurst ... Mary Sheen
Abigail Kinsella ... Tylah Tomkins-Simpson
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Episode Four
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The students tackle the complex ramifications of a joint trial: co-defendants who were tried together and both convicted of murder.
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But they hit a wall when they attempt to analyse upon what evidence the jury ultimately based their guilty verdict.
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Beth (Ruth Bradley) is appalled by the injustice and wants to approach the jury. But Ford (Lloyd Owen) lays down the law – such an approach would be illegal.
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Meanwhile, Sarah (Christine Bottomley) and Nick (Oliver James) get sidetracked by a case involving an adult website and the question of just what obscenity means in this day and age.
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Supporting Cast Episode Four
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Adrian Gale ... Chris Finch
Ricky Latif ... Moey Hassan
Alice Raikes ... Donna Lythgoe
Daniel Lucas ... Connor Marsh
Spiteri ... Tony Mooney
Hotel Guest ... Eddie Riley
Claire Waite ... Meriel Scholfield
Hotel Clerk ... Marc Silcock
Dominic Wells ... Darren Southworth
Rachel ... Paula Wolfenden
Louise Christie ... Gillian Waugh
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Episode Five
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An old face appears from Ford's (Lloyd Owen) past, asking for help, but Ford's not so sure he wants to get involved.
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The students attempt to help a convicted drug dealer get her sentence reduced.
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Rhiannon Hayes (Linzey Cocker) was convicted of selling drugs to an undercover policeman – but were the police more than just a willing buyer?
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Adam (Luke Treadaway) is forced to question his idealistic viewpoint when he fears Dizzy (Thomas Turgoose) may have betrayed him.
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Supporting Cast Episode Five
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Mylene ... Michelle Bateman
Adrian Kerr ... Nick Brimble
Rhiannon Hayes ... Linzey Cocker
Di Gwyn James ... Tim Dantay
Maxwell Gittings ... Ian Kilgannon
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Episode Six
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A convicted murderer claims that, rather than killing the victim, all he actually did was try to help. The students put expert evidence under the microscope.
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When Sarah (Christine Bottomley) and Beth (Ruth Bradley) get involved in a case the Crown Prosecution Service passed over, Beth finds herself working for the other side with PC Todd (Jamie Belman), with unexpected rewards.
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Ford (Lloyd Owen) can't seem to shift the piles of work on his desk but has a good reason for taking so much on.
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Supporting Cast Episode Six
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PC Luke Todd ... Jamie Belman
Julie Poppat ... Kelly Condron
Dr Andy Wilson ... Craig Parkinson
George Griffiths ... Paul Simpson
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Episode Seven
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The students are put to the test by the different claims and counter-claims in a rape case.
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Rape is a notoriously difficult offence to get a conviction for and they wonder if it's something they should even be looking at.
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Ford (Lloyd Owen) is stumped when Sarah (Christine Bottomley) and Andrew (Stephen Graham) want to discuss how to prove a retired police dog was an unreliable witness.
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Supporting Cast Episode Seven
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Hotel Employee ... Dan Atkinson
Pete Marston ... Gary Cargill
Tanya Jackson ... Sarah Jayne Dunn
Graham Little ... Steve Garti
Martin Carey ... Andrew Mcnair
Caroline Kirsop ... Jacqueline Pilton
Colette Givray ... Gabriella Wright
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Episode Eight
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The team struggles to prove that a murder case was, in fact, a suicide.
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Adam (Luke Treadaway) gets involved in the mechanics, while the others investigate the victim's state of mind.
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Ford (Lloyd Owen) may know more about the drugs which might have contributed to the victim's death than he's letting on. So he finds himself with several difficult decisions to make – both personally and professionally.
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Supporting Cast Episode Eight
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Pawlicki ... Mark Arends
Rachel ... Emily Beecham
Michael Starkey ... John Branwell
Alistair Henderson... Louis Dower
Professor David Goddard ... David Fleeshman
Cameron Harris... Andy Quine
Gail Henderson ... Joanna Swain
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