Forget glossy courtroom dramas: Channel 4’s Pierre is the gritty and authentic take on the life of a solicitor facing police bigotry and classism
The show is a fresh take on the genre fans have been waiting for, with some characters inspired by real people
Fans of legal dramas will no doubt be familiar with the likes of slick, glossy offerings The Lincoln Lawyer, Suits and The Good Wife.
While these are brilliant, bingeable shows, they don't offer a hugely realistic look at a life working in law. Enter, Pierre on Channel 4, one of the first shows to offer an authentic take on the life of a legal aid lawyer.
In the first leading role of his career at the age of 60, David Harewood is the titular Pierre, a West London duty solicitor and "force of nature" facing a constant battle to keep his clients away from a system that would hang them out to dry.
Working in legal aid, he's on hand to help those who need him the most - but this comes at an emotional financial cost, as Pierre's marriage and health take a downward spiral while he goes out of his way to help those in need.
With echoes of ITV's The Blame, which is currently tackling the very real issue of misogyny in the police force, Pierre takes on the culture of bigotry within the system, touching on themes of race and class as he attempts to find the truth behind the death of his client Michael, a young black man.
Michael's death is framed by the police as drug related or something to do with inter-gang warfare but his friends know this is far from the truth. Uncovering what happened to Michael brings peril like never before to Pierre's family and friendships, threatening his ability to do the job he lives for.
With it being so unusual to have a legal drama step away from high-powered, wealthy barristers and focus on the "unsung heroes" of the legal profession, the show's writers explain their decision to write the drama from this unusual angle.
Writer Roy Williams shares that he was inspired to write Pierre's story when he and fellow writer John Donnelly were comparing their thoughts about "TV lawyers sitting quietly while their clients spill the beans to the police," deciding those backseat figures have a story to be told.
"To our knowledge, there isn't much drama out there that tells the story of duty solicitors," he says of filling this gap in the TV market. "These legal aid lawyers are kind of unsung heroes," he says of a role that in reality is "very much squeezed as it’s continually being cut."
To add to the authenticity of the show, and its aim to portray a real sense of communities helping each other, John shares that a particular character called Miriam was inspired by a real person known as the White Woman of Camberwell.
"She was a Black woman who dressed almost entirely in white, with white face makeup. She was quite a familiar sight in the 1990s," he explains.
John continues, "She had this Miss Havisham from Great Expectations look about her and carried herself with enormous dignity. No one seemed to know who she was or why she dressed this way and as was often the case with London, a mythology builds up around local figures like that."
Roy adds, "She's the kind of person that a lot of us would want to cross the street to avoid because she doesn’t fit our view of what people should be.
"But who is that person? What's at home waiting for them? Do they have children? Pierre has that same level of curiosity. He cares about people like her, and he knows how the rest of the world views Miriam. But she's still a person that needs representation."
David Harewood has spoken of the "struggle" and "frustration" of waiting until the age of 60 to land his first ever leading role.
"It’s been a struggle and a little bit frustrating that it’s taken this long," he tells Radio Times, adding, "But when I read this script [from Roy Williams and John Donnelly] I thought, ‘That’s a character that really fits me,’ and it was an absolute yes, straight off the bat."
Speaking about his character, David explains, "He’s a husband, he’s funny and he’s a best mate. In the early stages of my career you just weren’t allowed the chance to play all facets of a character."
After a turbulent life that included having a psychotic breakdown after supressing childhood trauma, and a dip in his career that saw him out of work for months, the actor still has so much to give.
He concludes, "I feel better than I’ve felt in years and I feel like my best years are ahead of me."
Pierre airs on Channel 4 from September 5.
