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  • Toxic Town / A Cruel Love

    From The Todal@21:1/5 to All on Thu Mar 27 23:28:58 2025
    Two popular drama series, allegedly based on true facts.

    Both would justly deserve an award for the most misleading, inaccurate portrayal of the justice system and the way lawyers work. This probably wouldn't bother most people.

    I would say both were soap operas with no redeeming qualities. I suppose
    the scriptwriters had to invent conversations between lawyers and didn't
    bother to run it past any real lawyers. But the contrast with
    "Adolescence" which goes to great lengths to achieve accuracy, is very surprising.

    But here's one astonishing allegation. In the Ruth Ellis drama "A Cruel
    Love", it is claimed that Desmond Cussen was a cousin of a barrister
    called Edward Cussen who was in the prosecuting counsel's chambers. And
    that the prosecuting counsel therefore deliberately protected Desmond
    Cussen, seemingly as a favour to his colleague.

    I haven't found any reliable evidence that the two Cussens were related
    but it is quite outrageous to claim that barristers have that sort of
    dishonest freemasonry.

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  • From RJH@21:1/5 to The Todal on Fri Mar 28 06:38:47 2025
    On 27 Mar 2025 at 23:28:58 GMT, The Todal wrote:

    Two popular drama series, allegedly based on true facts.

    Both would justly deserve an award for the most misleading, inaccurate portrayal of the justice system and the way lawyers work. This probably wouldn't bother most people.

    I would say both were soap operas with no redeeming qualities. I suppose
    the scriptwriters had to invent conversations between lawyers and didn't bother to run it past any real lawyers. But the contrast with
    "Adolescence" which goes to great lengths to achieve accuracy, is very surprising.

    I assume you're referring to the way the duty solicitor and the police treatment of the child in Adolescence is portrayed.

    I had no real frame of reference so can't judge. How was it misleading and inaccurate?

    Overall, I thought it was good TV. I'd have liked to have seen a trial, and something more of the child's life in later years

    --
    Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

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  • From The Todal@21:1/5 to RJH on Fri Mar 28 07:45:20 2025
    On 28/03/2025 06:38, RJH wrote:
    On 27 Mar 2025 at 23:28:58 GMT, The Todal wrote:

    Two popular drama series, allegedly based on true facts.

    Both would justly deserve an award for the most misleading, inaccurate
    portrayal of the justice system and the way lawyers work. This probably
    wouldn't bother most people.

    I would say both were soap operas with no redeeming qualities. I suppose
    the scriptwriters had to invent conversations between lawyers and didn't
    bother to run it past any real lawyers. But the contrast with
    "Adolescence" which goes to great lengths to achieve accuracy, is very
    surprising.

    I assume you're referring to the way the duty solicitor and the police treatment of the child in Adolescence is portrayed.

    I had no real frame of reference so can't judge. How was it misleading and inaccurate?

    Overall, I thought it was good TV. I'd have liked to have seen a trial, and something more of the child's life in later years

    --
    Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK


    The miniseries "Adolescence" was brilliant, the best thing on TV this
    year, and with a scrupulous attention to accuracy. Although the story is fictional it shows how the system works when it involves juvenile
    offenders. And the author was the same chap who wrote "Toxic Town" which
    I found so disappointing.

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  • From The Todal@21:1/5 to Les. Hayward on Fri Mar 28 08:55:26 2025
    On 28/03/2025 08:45, Les. Hayward wrote:
    On 27/03/2025 23:28, The Todal wrote:

    But here's one astonishing allegation. In the Ruth Ellis drama "A
    Cruel Love", it is claimed that Desmond Cussen was a cousin of a
    barrister called Edward Cussen who was in the prosecuting counsel's
    chambers. And that the prosecuting counsel therefore deliberately
    protected Desmond Cussen, seemingly as a favour to his colleague.

    I haven't found any reliable evidence that the two Cussens were
    related but it is quite outrageous to claim that barristers have that
    sort of dishonest freemasonry.

    Even if it could be shown to be true?



    It would have to be plausible at the very least. But it really isn't. It
    looks to be a sexing-up of the story to include a preposterous
    conspiracy theory, which might cause viewers to have a little more
    sympathy for Ruth Ellis.

    Historical dramas need to be accurate. Toby Jones as solicitor John
    Bickford does not in the least resemble a real solicitor - hectoring his client, hectoring his barrister, on a mission to exonerate his client
    when any competent lawyer would know that the defence was hopeless and
    made no sense as a matter of law. And the usual silly stereotypes of the condescending sarcastic barristers.

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  • From Les. Hayward@21:1/5 to The Todal on Fri Mar 28 08:45:48 2025
    On 27/03/2025 23:28, The Todal wrote:

    But here's one astonishing allegation. In the Ruth Ellis drama "A Cruel Love", it is claimed that Desmond Cussen was a cousin of a barrister
    called Edward Cussen who was in the prosecuting counsel's chambers. And
    that the prosecuting counsel therefore deliberately protected Desmond
    Cussen, seemingly as a favour to his colleague.

    I haven't found any reliable evidence that the two Cussens were related
    but it is quite outrageous to claim that barristers have that sort of dishonest freemasonry.

    Even if it could be shown to be true?

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  • From Mark Goodge@21:1/5 to The Todal on Fri Mar 28 21:32:39 2025
    On Fri, 28 Mar 2025 07:45:20 +0000, The Todal <the_todal@icloud.com> wrote:


    The miniseries "Adolescence" was brilliant, the best thing on TV this
    year, and with a scrupulous attention to accuracy.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/347573962565818?multi_permalinks=1864233104233222

    Should work without a login.

    Mark

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