Silk poster

Silk

★ 8.0 6K votes 2011–2014 3 seasons · 18 episodes Ended BBC One
LegalCourtrooms, lawyers and the machinery of the law.This show: 10/10British TVThe British television sensibility: tone, restraint and format traditions.This show: 8/10Dialogue-drivenThe writing's voice is the main event.This show: 7/10WorkplaceThe job and its social ecosystem as the stage.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Maxine PeakeRupert Penry-JonesNeil StukeTheo Barklem-BiggsJohn MacmillanAlex Jennings
Written by
Peter Moffat
Starring
Maxine PeakeRupert Penry-JonesNeil StukeTheo Barklem-BiggsJohn MacmillanAlex Jennings
Written by
Peter Moffat
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
075150225300

Silk Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6
S17.87.77.87.67.87.98.3
S28.17.98.17.88.08.28.6
S37.77.77.88.07.77.67.4

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About

"Ambition and ethics collide in wig and gown"

Silk follows barristers at a London chambers as they juggle brutal criminal cases with the political scramble to be named Queen's Counsel, the coveted rank known as "taking silk." It is a briskly plotted British legal drama that pairs courtroom procedural satisfaction with sharp office politics and moral compromise. The cases twist convincingly, but the real pull is watching ambitious, flawed lawyers claw for status while trying to keep some ethical footing. Talky, well-acted, and tightly paced, it rewards viewers who like character-driven legal drama more than flashy trial pyrotechnics.

Watch it for

the tense chambers politics that make career advancement feel as dramatic as any courtroom verdict.

Maybe skip if

you want flashy trial theatrics rather than slow-building office rivalry and procedure.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

Series 12011
7.81K65h 51m
Series 22012
8.187565h 51m
Series 32014
7.772865h 54m

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Maxine Peake Martha Costello QC
Rupert Penry-Jones Clive Reader, Clive Reader QC
Neil Stuke Billy Lamb, Billy
Theo Barklem-Biggs Jake Milner
John Macmillan John Bright, John
Alex Jennings Alan Cowdrey QC
Frances Barber Caroline Warwick QC
Amy Wren Bethany Brassington
Phil Davis Micky Joy
Tom Hughes Nick Slade

Crew

Peter Moffat

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