What would you do if someone’s life was in your hands?
In an Australian first, SBS Original The Jury: Death on the Staircase takes inspiration from a hit format from Channel 4 in the UK to provide insight and analysis on how juries work.
The 5 part series re-enacts an Australian manslaughter trial (names dates, locations and images have been changed to protect identities in the original trial).
Actors recite real court transcripts word-for-word. But this jury is made up of 12 everyday Australians who reflect contemporary Australian society – a diverse range of ages, cultures, and life experiences.
Will they conclude the accused is an innocent man, or determine he is guilty? Will the new jury arrive at the same decision as the original trial?
SBS Commissioning Editor, Bethan Arwel-Lewis said: “We’re so excited about this fascinating and ground-breaking series. It’s SBS’s role to create programs that drive national conversation around important issues, and the series absolutely does this, but as a gripping true crime TV event. Seeing the inner workings of a jury for the first time, what’s clear is that the deliberation room is a place of heightened emotion and jeopardy with huge stakes. It’ll provoke audiences to look at their own perspective and what they would do if faced with the ultimate decision. The series closes with a revealing episode you don’t want to miss!”
Northern Pictures, Series Director Tosca Looby said: “Creating this series has been a career highlight. It has required collaboration with a fabulous team across both drama and documentary, courts, and legal professionals and, most importantly, twelve ordinary citizens willing to put themselves to the test in a criminal trial. Despite months of precise planning, the final outcome was out of our hands and impossible to predict.”
Screen Australia, Head of Documentary Richard Huddleston said: “The insatiable appetite for true crime has created a plethora of content, so, in a crowded market you need your series to stand out from the crowd. The Jury: Death on the Staircase takes audiences into a high stakes environment with meticulous skill, craft, and the expertise of many. The result is a gripping audience offer that I hope Australians will be captivated by.”
Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth said: “Screen NSW is pleased to support this unique and compelling series, expertly created by the team at Northern Pictures. Given how difficult juries are to study, The Jury: Death on the Staircase will provide audiences with the chance to immerse themselves in the inner workings of the trial process and promises to be must-watch television when it premieres on SBS.”
We know very little about juries. They are, by law, secret and sacrosanct – until now. There are strident critics who argue jurors are all too often prejudiced, ignorant and inexperienced at their task. The Resolve Political Monitor survey, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on 30 July 2024, revealed only 30 per cent of Australians have faith in the country’s courts and justice system in which juries play a crucial role. How will our jurors use or overcome their own biases, prejudices, and life experience to judge another person’s actions?
The Jury: Death on the Staircase goes behind the scenes of the jury room where cameras and recording devices are normally strictly prohibited, to witness how a cohort of 12 strangers interpret confounding evidence, how they judge the motives and expertise of witnesses, and decode the ingenuity of defence and prosecution tactics.
The series reveals the secrets, challenges, missteps, and wisdom that transpires when ‘the people’ judge ‘the people’. It also exposes the laws and traditions of the court, encouraging the audience to reflect on all it does right, and where the scales of justice might be skewed.
After persuasive closing arguments, we follow our 12 jurors through an emotionally charged deliberation. Can the jurors work together? Will they arrive at a unanimous decision?
The Jury: Death on the Staircase is a Northern Pictures production for SBS. Major production investment from SBS in association with Screen Australia. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW, who also supported post, digital, and visual effects. Based on a format created by ScreenDog Productions and distributed by Blue Ant Studios.
The Jury: Death on the Staircase will be subtitled in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
Wednesday 6 November at 8.30pm on SBS.
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