- "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the Crown Prosecutors who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."
Law & Order: UK (original working title Law & Order: London) is a British television drama based on the original Law & Order - each episode is based on an original script from that show with suitable changes for the English legal system, for example, the lack of felony murder and on occasion more major changes to the storyline. The "Law" is the fictional 'Central London Police' (although dialogue frequently refers to the Metropolitan Police) and the "Order" is the Crown Prosecution Service.
The series airs on ITV and is produced by the independent production company Kudos. So far, fifty one episodes have been aired, with the final episode of Season 8 to air on June 11, 2014.
On June 4, 2014, ITV announced that the show would be 'rested' after Bradley Walsh chose to leave the show and "Repeat to Fade" would be the final episode for the "foreseeable future".
- For a list of episodes, see Law & Order: UK episodes.
Cast
Main cast
Current cast
| Image | Actor | Character | In show |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bradley Walsh | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Senior Detective Sergeant Ronald "Ronnie" Brooks |
Seasons 1-8 |
| Ben Bailey-Smith | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Junior Detective Sergeant Joseph "Joe" Hawkins |
Seasons 8- | |
| Paterson Joseph | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Detective Inspector Wesley "Wes" Layton |
Seasons 7-8 | |
|
Dominic Rowan | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob "Jake" Thorne |
Seasons 5- |
| Georgia Taylor | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Junior Crown Prosecutor Katherine "Kate" Barker |
Seasons 7- | |
|
Peter Davison | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Director of London Crown Prosecution Service Henry Sharpe |
Seasons 5- |
The opening voiceover is provided by Robert Glenister.
Former cast
| Image | Actor | Character | In show |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jamie Bamber | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Junior Detective Sergeant Matthew "Matt" Devlin |
Seasons 1-5 |
|
Paul Nicholls | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Junior Detective Sergeant Samuel "Sam" Casey |
Seasons 6-7 |
|
Harriet Walter | Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.), Murder Investigation Unit (M.I.U.) Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler |
Seasons 1-6 |
|
Ben Daniels | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel |
Seasons 1-4 |
|
Freema Agyeman | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips |
Seasons 1-6 |
|
Bill Paterson | Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.), Director of Crown Prosecution Service George Castle |
Seasons 1-4 |
Recurring cast
| Actor | Character | First episode | Last episode | Number of appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessica Gunning | Computer Records and Researcher Angela |
"Vice" (Season 1) |
N/A | 13+ |
| Nicola Sanderson | Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) Joy Ackroyd |
"Vice" (Season 1) |
N/A | 11+ |
| Alexander Perkins | Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) Pete |
Care (Season 1) |
N/A | 5+ |
| Nicholas Blane | Coronor/Pathologist Oswald Spear | "Care" (Season 1) |
"Samaritan" (Season 2) |
3 |
| Hazel Ellerby | Coronor/Pathologist Heather | "Hounded" (Season 3) |
"Duty of Care" (Season 4) |
2 |
| Tariq Jordan | Forensic Technician Teddy | "Vice" (Season 1) |
N/A | 9+ |
| Nimmy March | Psychiatrist/Psychologist Doctor Elizabeth Rawls |
"Unloved" (Season 1) |
"Buried" (Season 1) |
2 |
| George Anton | Psychiatrist/Psychologist Doctor Roddy Armitage |
"Defense" (Season 3) |
N/A | 5+ |
| Fraser James | Children's Psychiatrist/Psychologist Doctor Toby Marsh |
"Broken" (Season 3) |
N/A | 2 |
| Patrick Malahide | Defense Barrister Robert Ridley QC | "Care" (Season 1) |
"Confession" (Season 3) |
3 |
| Lesley Manville | Defense Barrister Phyllis Gladstone | "Vice" (Season 1) |
N/A | 3 |
| Louise Howells | Defense Barrister Anna Shorofsky | "Care" (Season 1) |
"Samaritan" (Season 2) |
2 |
| Dervla Kirwan | Defense Barrister Beatrice McArdle | "Unloved" (Season 1) |
"Hidden" (Season 2) |
2 |
| Colin Salmon | Defense Barrister Doug Greer | "Buried" (Season 1) |
"Survivor's Guilt" (Season 6) |
3 |
| Charles Kay | Defense Barrister St John Artemis | "Paradise" (Season 1) |
"Sacrifice" (Season 2) |
2 |
| Eddie Marsan | Defense Barrister Jason Peters | "Love and Loss" (Season 2) |
"Help" (Season 4) |
2 |
| Anna Chancellor | Defense Barrister Evelyn Wyndham | "Honour Bound" (Season 2) |
"Anonymous" (Season 3) |
2 |
| Gillian McCutcheon | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lady Justice Margaret Blake |
"Care" (Season 1) |
N/A | 4+ |
| Paul Darrow | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Prentice |
"Unsafe" (Season 1) |
N/A | 4+ |
| Cyril Nri | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Demarco |
"Unloved" (Season 1) |
"Hidden" (Season 2) |
2 |
| John Rowe | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Silverton |
"Alesha" (Season 1) |
"Hidden" (Season 2) |
2 |
| Crispin Redman | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Rory Richards |
"Hounded" (Season 3) |
N/A | 2 |
| Ken Drury | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Pedotti |
"Broken" (Season 3) |
"Shaken" (Season 4) |
2 |
| Timothy Davies | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lord Justice Peterson |
"Confession" (Season 3) |
N/A | 2+ |
| Prue Clarke | City of London Crown Court Judge/Lady Justice Blythe |
"Survivor" (Season 3) |
N/A | 2 |
| Isla Blair | Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Hopley |
"Broken" (Season 3) |
"ID" (Season 4) |
2 |
| Pete Noakes | Clerk of the Court | "Survivor" (Season 3) |
"Intent" (Season 5) |
6 |
Differences between UK and original show
- Instead of using the original theme by Mike Post or a remix, the show uses a new theme composed by Andy Price.
- The caption cards are displayed in the British date format and add the first part of the postcode for the location e.g.
Bow Street Police Station WC2
Friday 7th February
- Many cases are changed from shootings to stabbings or fatal beatings due to the tough British firearms laws that prohibit private possession of handguns and heavily restrict possession of rifles or shotguns.