BBC unveils first look at new ‘This Life’ style legal drama, Counsels

The BBC has unveiled the first-look images from Counsels, a new eight-part legal drama set to explore the professional ambitions, personal entanglements and high-stakes cases of a group of young lawyers in Glasgow.

Created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley, known for The Crow Road and Skins, and Gillian McCormack, a BBC Writers Drama Room graduate, the series will arrive on BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland in early 2027.

Fans of the iconic BBC legal drama This Life will enjoy what’s to come. This Life was a landmark BBC legal drama that followed a group of young barristers sharing a house in London while trying to balance demanding careers with complicated friendships, romances and rivalries. Created by Amy Jenkins, the series ran for two seasons from 1996 to 1997 and became known for its frank, contemporary portrayal of ambitious young professionals navigating work, relationships and adulthood.

Its ensemble cast included Jack Davenport, Andrew Lincoln, Daniela Nardini, Amita Dhiri and Jason Merrells, with the series earning a lasting reputation for capturing the energy and uncertainty of its generation. Its influence can still be seen in British workplace dramas that place as much emphasis on the personal lives of young professionals as they do on their careers.

What is Counsels about?

Set several years after university, Counsels follows six twentysomething lawyers as they reach a pivotal point in their careers. Jamie, Bav, Nadine, Alasdair, Katie and Karina are beginning to discover what life looks like when the stakes of their profession become considerably higher — and when success can come at a personal cost.

The drama moves across different corners of Glasgow’s legal world, from public prosecution and prestigious law firms to the more modest practices representing clients with nowhere else to turn. Ambition brings the characters into competition with one another, while friendships, romances and rivalries become increasingly difficult to separate from their working lives.

Brandon Grace, Ro Kumar, Eilidh Park, George Prentice, Alyth Ross and Rebecca Bell make up the central young ensemble, playing the six lawyers at the heart of the story.

The cast is bolstered by an accomplished group of established Scottish and UK performers, including Michelle Gomez, Derek Riddell, Laura Haddock, Daniela Nardini, Michael Nardone, Sally Howitt, Stuart Bowman, Neshla Caplan and Stephen Purdon.

Former politician Mhairi Black will also make her acting debut in the series as DI Bridges.

One of the newly released images features Michael Nardone as Peter alongside Michelle Gomez as Edith Connelly, while another introduces Black’s character. A further image shows Derek Riddell’s Kevin Mallam with Laura Haddock’s Jan Mallam, hinting at the drama’s focus on relationships alongside its legal storylines.

The series reunites Nardini with the world of legal drama following her role in the landmark 1990s BBC series This Life, giving Counsels an obvious connection to a much-loved strand of British television drama centred on ambitious young professionals.

Behind the camera, Elsley and McCormack serve as co-creators, writers and executive producers, with additional episodes written by Maryam Hamidi (Vigil) and Jingan Young (Red Eye).

Lynsey Miller (Surface, The Turkish Detective) and Siri Rødnes (Shetland, River City) direct, while Brian Kaczynski (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Mayflies) produces.

The BBC commissioned the series through Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. Executive producers include Gaynor Holmes for BBC Drama, Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland, and Daniel Donnelly and Dave Evans for Balloon Entertainment.

Produced by Balloon Entertainment, the company behind Champion, Clique and Newark Newark, Counsels is made in association with Banijay Rights and in co-production with ZDFneo. The international distribution rights will be handled by Banijay Rights, while the series is supported by Screen Scotland.

The drama adds to the BBC’s expanding slate of Scotland-based productions, following shows including Vigil, The Young Team, Sutherland, Shetland and Rebus.

With its combination of courtroom pressure, workplace rivalry and complicated personal relationships, Counsels looks set to bring a contemporary Glasgow perspective to the legal drama — with its young characters entering the stage of their careers where professional choices could have consequences far beyond the office.

Counsels (8×60′) is due to premiere on BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland in early 2027.

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