Series 1-3 of the BBC Radio 4 legal drama, starring Claire Rushbrook and Clare Corbett
Behind Closed Doors is a courtroom drama with a difference – it centres around civil law, not criminal. In these nine plays, London barrister Rebecca Nyman takes on cases ranging from workplace harassment to the sensitive, secret trial of a terrorist and a morally complex 'right to die' hearing.
In Series 1, Nyman represents a senior policewoman in a case of sexist bullying at work in One of the Lads; while Tilting the Odds sees her helping an equine vet accused of serious professional misconduct. In Safe House, a suspected terrorist has his movement and activities severely restricted by the Security Services – can Nyman clear his name so he can get his life back?
Series 2 features A Bad Night Out, in which a man claiming wrongful arrest seeks police compensation; Excluded, which sees a teenager facing permanent exclusion from school; and Catastrophic Injury, in which a mother claims her baby's cerebral palsy is due to medical negligence, and is fighting the hospital for compensation.
In Series 3's Contact, a sperm donor is trying to get a court order to allow him to see 'his' daughter, but Nyman's client, the mother, wants him to keep his distance. In Section, the barrister hopes to convince a tribunal that a patient who has spent seven years in a secure mental hospital is fit to be released. And in Protection, Rebecca represents a man whose wife has been in a minimally conscious state for over three years – should she be allowed to die?
Written by award-winning dramatist Clara Glynn, these nine compelling dramas provide an intriguing glimpse into the little-known world of civil litigation, with all its challenges, complexities and controversies.