Beyond Reasonable Doubt

• Source: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

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Play description

In the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey Sir David Metcalfe, distinguished QC and Chairman of the Bar Council, is conducting the most important defense of his career – his own.

Accused of the wilful murder of his terminally ill wife, Sir David finds himself locked in legal combat with his old rival, Sir Anthony Blair-Booth QC, prosecuting counsel. After a tense and gripping courtroom scene, Act I ends just as we are about the hear the jury’s verdict. Act II takes us back in time to the fateful night of Lady Metcalfe’s death and before, and the plays ends with a surprising twist.

“A magnificent play showing how different people may interpret an incident in entirely different ways. I saw it in Bath in 1987 (there was a bomb scare which delayed the start). At the end I was embarrassed because I was crying until I realised everyone else was crying too. There were funny moments also. I’ve seen hundreds of plays since but none that have remained so firmly embedded in my memory. Beautifully acted by Wendy Craig and Frank Finlay.”