The Jury: Murder Trial - Channel 4 release date and plot of TV experiment exploring British justice system

Channel 4 will be putting the British jury system under the microscope tonight with its new series and social experiment, The Jury: Murder Trial. For the first time on UK TV, it will examine the British judiciary system as two juries will be filmed as they judge the same recreated true crime story.

Filmed over 10 days, in a former courthouse in Essex, they will be asked to judge on the real-life case of a man who admits he killed his wife, but whose defence maintains that he lost control, and is therefore not guilty of murder. Will the two juries come up with the same verdict, or what influences or experiences will cause a different reaction? Here's everything you need to know about The Jury: Murder Trial.

What is The Jury: Murder Trial about?

The Jury: Murder Trial is a new dramatization from Channel 4 that will explore whether justice really is served in the British judicial system. For the first time on British TV, they have recreated a real murder trial with two juries to see if they come up with the same verdict.

Here is the official plot of the social experiment from Channel 4: "The Jury: Murder Trial will examine the jury system for the first time on British television by recreating an entire, real murder trial from the original transcripts in front of 24 jurors, randomly split into two juries, neither of whom are aware of the other. Filmed over ten days, in a former courthouse in Essex, the series will take a forensic look at the inner workings of justice. The two juries will be asked to judge on the real case of a man who admits he killed his wife, but whose defence maintains that he lost control, and is therefore not guilty of murder."

Is there a trailer for The Jury: Murder Trial?

Channel 4 have not yet released a trailer for the upcoming series. Speaking about the social experiment, Andy Vasey and Dan Warner, Creative Directors, 4creative, said: "The show is an innovative true crime experiment that gives the public an insight into the British jury system. Our campaign spotlights how, for example, a juror being hungover or tired might be as likely to sway a verdict as the facts of the case. With one trial and two juries, it’s fascinating to see whether the same verdict will be reached by both."

The Jury: Murder Trial: what is the case?

Set in a former courthouse in Essex, the two juries will be asked to judge on the real-life case of a man who admitted killing his wife, but whose defence maintained that he lost control, and was therefore not guilty of murder. The trial will be recreated by actors, the two juries will watch together but split into specially made separate compartments in the courtroom. They will see the exact same evidence at the same time, but will be unaware of one another. Will they come up with the same verdicts?

When can I watch The Jury: Murder Trial?

Episode one of The Jury: Murder Trial will be available to watch on Channel 4 from 9pm tonight (February 26). The remaining three episodes will air in the same slot on a nightly basis, with the final episode taking place on Thursday, February 29 at 9pm.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.