John Hannah plays Jack Roper
Barrister - Head of chambers
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Ruggedly handsome and naturally charming, Jack is a brilliant lawyer who is proud of his working-class roots. An instinctive fighter, law appealed to Jack whose passion for justice stems largely from witnessing his violent father beat his mother.
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Jack started his career as Laurence's pupil but soon realised
that their approaches to law, and their values, differed greatly. Jack
turned down Laurence's offer of a place in his chambers and instead
built a reputation for himself in defence work.
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Jack attracts female attention
wherever he goes but is still scarred from losing the love of his
life who walked out on him. But lurking in the wings is Laurence's daughter,
Laura.
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Warm, open-hearted and passionate, Laura is everything Jack
wants and needs in a woman, but she poses a threat; she's capable
of opening him up.
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John
Thomson plays Charlie DarlingÌý
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John Thomson plays Charlie Darling
Barrister
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Charlie has always lived life by the seat of his pants and avoided responsibility – hence one failed marriage and big problems looming in his second one.
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Addicted to risk and danger, he plays with the little
money he has – usually losing when he follows a stock-market tip – and
lives on the dream of one lucky break bringing him fame and fortune,
as it did to his hero, George Carman.
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But unlike his hero, Charlie
lacks a killer instinct; under the bravado, he's fundamentally
good-hearted. Over the course of the series he will gradually
realise that the harmless flirtation he enjoys with Annie is slowly
building into something far more profound.
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Lara Cazalet plays Annie QuickÌý
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Lara Cazalet plays Annie Quick
Barrister
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In the storm of Jack's chambers, Annie is the calm. Wise beyond her years, Annie sees people for what they are and has a no-nonsense, pragmatic approach to life.
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A good listener, people instinctively trust her with
their problems but she rarely gives anything away about herself.
Annie is Jack's conscience, bringing him back down to earth when
he gets swept away by his ideals.
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Trapped in a loveless marriage,
Annie has stopped loving Chris because of who he has become – a bitter and vindictive man – not
because of his wheelchair.
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But as her affection for Charlie
grows she is confronted with the possibility of tasting delicious
excitement for perhaps the first time in her life.
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Lee
Williams plays Joe StevensÌý
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Lee Williams plays Joe Stevens
Pupil barrister
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Cocky, arrogant and fiercely ambitious, Joe's good looks gain him attention wherever he goes. A serial womaniser, Joe always manages to walk away unscathed – while still leaving his conquests feeling special.
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Joe is in the second six months of his pupillage with
Jack's chambers and although he admires Jack's success, he is secretly
scathing of his over-commitment to the job.
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Uncomfortable with Al's open homosexuality and wary
of Annie's perceptivity, Joe naturally aligns himself with Charlie
- although he's not quite as affable or middle-class.
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Desperate to
gain the place in chambers which would give him the authority
and security he craves, Joe will undergo a series of tests set by
Jack, but will ultimately be tripped up by his ego.
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Chris Gascoyne plays Al Ware
Head clerk
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A Mancunian through-and-through, Al and Jack became firm friends in their teens and although their lives have taken them in very different directions, their friendship has endured.
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Street smart but not an academic achiever, Al drifted through life in a series of dead-end jobs until Jack encouraged him to become a legal clerk.
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A quietly liberal man, Al is openly gay but doesn't feel the need to shout it from the rooftops. He has been with his partner, Steve, for six years and they have lived together for the last four.
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Al has staked his future on helping Jack set up chambers
and keeps faith with Jack where many lesser men would cut their losses.
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