Silk is a BBC TV series about barristers in a law chamber vying for a chance to earn their ‘silk’, or become a Queens Counsel. Our heroine is Martha Costello, a barrister who has many a front to fight – being a woman in a predominantly male occupation, being from a working class background. Martha is a dedicated and extremely intelligent barrister and has gotten where she is through hard work and determination. The other candidate for silk – and Martha’s antogonist – is Clive Reeder, a barrister from a privileged background. He’s also a bit smarmy, and you just want Martha to pound him into the dirt, which she does. Heh.

I really, really enjoy Silk. It’s an intelligent, well-structured show with great characters and wonderful actors. Aside from Martha and Clive, there is the fantastic character of Billy, senior law clerk in their chambers. He’s an appropriately shady charcter, dedicated to his barristers and making sure they get the cases they need – in whatever way he can finangle.

The head writer, Peter Moffat (no relation to he of Doctor Who fame), was a law professional in a former life, and this shows clearly in the authenticity of the writing. In point of fact, I was so intrigued by Silk that I wrote a book featuring barristers, which then turned into a series!

Series 3 will be filmed later on this year and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans Martha and co get up to.