TheLittleSongbird
I saw Judge John Deed as I like legal dramas and I love Martin Shaw. Judge John Deed is not bad, but it is not perfect. And I admit I prefer Rumpole of the Bailey and Kavanagh QC. Judge John Deed is wonderfully photographed and the locations and scenery are stunning, and the music is great. In the first four seasons or so, the writing has in general been excellent and the stories are engrossing, with exception of the baby episode which is easily one of the weaker episodes for me. And the acting is fine, Martin Shaw is brilliant in the title role, and he has a good chemistry with the lovely Jenny Seagrove who plays Jo, while the direction is pretty solid and the courtroom scenes on the whole compelling. However, I do have to agree that some parts of Judge John Deed is unrealistic such as the sinister government schemes, making Deed a womaniser and such. Also the pacing can be a little slow at times, and in seasons 5 and 6 the writing and story lines sadly aren't as strong, with the writing lacking the intelligence of the earlier seasons and the stories becoming a tad unoriginal and repetitive. And there were some characters that came across as cardboard, on occasions Judge John Deed and Jo are the only well-developed characters. To conclude, it is good thanks to Shaw, but it has lost its quality. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Paul Cimatti
To me; a layman; I find this series thoroughly enjoyable, it may not be true to life but that does not stop it being good, and as for Rumpole of the Bailey I would rate JJD well above, as enjoyable as Rumpole is I think JJD is far more absorbing and I find his personal life and it's problems; though I must say they are slightly over the top; add to the reality, as I should think anyone Judge, jury or the executioner will all have their ups and downs in their lives, and one thing I particularly like is how his colleagues are continually trying to pull him down but JJD always manages to get the upper hand. I would recommend anyone who has not seen an episode of Judge John Deed to take look; you will be hooked.
Sulla-2
The person who stated that this is s realistic portray of the British legal system is surely being sarcastic. Having experienced the workings of the Courts ( not as an offender I might add) I believe that Rumpole of the Bailey is far more realistic and far more enjoyable. It certainly doesn't take itself as seriously as this silly programme. Judge John Deed,( actually played reasonably well by Martin Shaw ) is a smug, pompous, stupid hypocrite who is a loose canon in the judicial system. I am amazed that the writer would think that such a man would ever be made a judge which is normally a role reserved for boring failed barristers. He continually does the job of the barristers by conducting most of the witness questioning himself. He is also having a sexual liaison with a female barrister who tends to conduct most of the cases in his court ! Some of his judgements are also farcical.In his spare time he helps his daughter escape being prosecuted for the odd felony
hgallon
There have been two series so far of this programme. It seems deliberately to set out to contradict the impression of the British legal system portrayed by the excellent "Rumpole of the Bailey", of senile judges and smug arch-conservative barristers.Here, the main character has radical leanings, a messy private life and a very active libido. Much of the sub-plot is involved with side-swipes at the (Labour) government of the day, although the implication is that power corrupts; the political complexion of the office holders doesn't affect their greed or ambition.The one common factor with other screen portrayals of the British legal system is the very precise diction and grammar used by barristers and judges. The courtroom scenes are well worth watching.Some elements of the plot rather strain belief, but the series is quite enjoyable.
