Everything we know about BBC's new 'high-octane' Scottish legal drama Counsels

Television has given us captivating courtroom dramas, from Rumpole of the Bailey and Kavanagh QC to Silk and The Split. Heck, in 2023 Suits was the most-watched programme in the world, writes Joshua King.

But has any legal series ever done justice to the Scottish profession? I would wager not.

That could all be about to change with the news that the BBC has commissioned Counsels, an original 'high-stakes legal drama' with two Scots at the helm: Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack.

Counsels, which will be filmed in and around Glasgow, tells the stories of five young lawyers who studied together at Scotland's 'elite law schools' and now work across the profession. The series will bring the quintet face to face in the courts of Glasgow.

The announcement from BBC and production company Balloon Scotland (Champion, Clique, Newark Newark), describes how "some will rise to the top, while others risk losing everything as their careers teeter on the edge when they lock horns in their biggest cases yet". Expect legal minefields, love affairs and friendships on the line.

We have had unique access to the lawyers of Glasgow, and their experiences which will translate into a punchy, fast-moving show, based on their incredible and characterful stories

Elsley said: “I am delighted to be creating a show with BBC Scotland, where my career as a writer started many years ago. We have had unique access to the lawyers of Glasgow, and their experiences which will translate into a punchy, fast-moving show, based on their incredible and characterful stories.”

McCormack said: "I'm super excited to be working with the incredible team at Balloon to bring my hometown of Glasgow to life on the BBC and show off a city as dynamic, gritty and humorous as the characters we’ve created."

Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland, said: “Bryan and Gillian have created a fast-paced ensemble drama that will showcase Scotland to the UK and beyond in a new style as we delve in to the glossy, high-octane world of Glasgow lawyers. We’re delighted to see this new creative partnership of Scottish writers flourish and we hope audiences will enjoy the gripping dramatic cases and the tricky toxic relationships the characters have to face as they battle the system from within.”

And Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama added: “Bryan and Gillian have immersed themselves in the Glasgow legal scene to create this new world of brilliant young lawyers whose personal dramas outside of the courtroom are just as big as what happens inside it. Counsels is the legal drama reinvented for today, mixing brilliantly drawn characters with edge-of-your-seat stories that we know will keep BBC viewers hooked.”