The Advocates is a Scottish legal drama produced by STV which first aired in 1991.
This DVD release features the complete first series which stars Isla Blair (Afterlife, A Touch Of Frost), Stella Gonet (Holby City, The House Of Elliot), Ewan Stewart (Rebus, P.O.W.), Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter, Bridget Jones) and Cal Macaninch (Holby Blue, Sorted).
The show has a fairly bleak tone which is firmly established with the murder of a prostitute in the opening moments of episode one and is reflected in the occasionally grainy-looking picture.
Like a lot of archive drama, The Advocates sometimes feels slow compared to many modern’s dramas though if, like me, you dislike the often 2D approach of contemporary drama making, this is no bad thing.
Compelling, credible drama is a scarce commodity these days, especially on ITV, so the arrival of this series is especially welcome.