Counsels is coming to BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Scotland in early 2027, and the first-look images have finally put faces to the six young lawyers at the heart of the story. The eight-part series follows a group of twentysomething lawyers in Glasgow as their careers suddenly become serious. Brandon Grace, Ro Kumar, Eilidh Park, George Prentice, Alyth Ross, and Rebecca Bell lead the cast as the central friendship group, backed by a roster of established Scottish talent including Michelle Gomez, Derek Riddell, and Laura Haddock.
Who Are the Six Young Lawyers
The six lead actors are relatively unknown talents, and the series is built around their characters’ messy personal and professional lives. Each one works in a different part of the legal world, from public prosecutors to glossy commercial firms to the last-resort lawyers for people with nowhere else to turn.
Brandon Grace plays Jamie. Grace is known for his work in My Lady Jane and Hamlet Hail to the Thief. Jamie works alongside Nadine in the procurator fiscal’s office in Glasgow. Grace described the role as a story about the loss of innocence, where the characters face the reality of growing up in their late twenties and early thirties.
“One of the themes in my head is the loss of innocence for these characters. The trials and tribulations that we face are about growing up.” — Brandon Grace told The Glasgow Times.
Ro Kumar plays Bav. Kumar has appeared in Traces and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Bav is described as the worst lawyer who somehow did not get kicked out of law school. He is laughably bad in the courtroom and relies on his friends to keep him connected to his youth. Kumar said Bav’s journey is about realizing he has to grow up.
Eilidh Park plays Nadine. Park previously appeared in Wind of Change. Nadine is determined, ambitious, and a powerhouse in the courtroom, but she also has a chaotic lifestyle and is often hungover. Park said Nadine wants to climb the ranks and always turns up for work the next day despite her personal chaos.
George Prentice plays Alasdair. Prentice is known for The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of The Merlin. Alasdair comes from a posh Edinburgh private school background, and his father is a High Court judge. He feels massive pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps. His girlfriend Katie is soaring in her career, and Alasdair feels inadequate and lost.
Alyth Ross plays Katie. Ross has appeared in Last Light and Dirty Angels. Katie is one of the most successful lawyers in the friendship group, rising through the ranks at a leading Glasgow firm while Alasdair languishes at the bottom of the same company. Ross described Katie as very competitive and constantly striving for the next goal, never quite satisfied.
Rebecca Bell plays Karina. Bell is known for Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Karina meets the group through Bav, and she is prickly and suspicious of everyone at first. She comes from a working-class background and has fought to get where she is. She cares deeply about being people’s last hope in the legal system.
The Established Stars Joining the Cast
The young ensemble is supported by a deep bench of experienced actors, many of them Scottish.
Michelle Gomez plays Edith Connelly. Gomez is known for Doom Patrol and The Flight Attendant. Derek Riddell plays Kevin Mallam. Riddell has appeared in Happy Valley and Industry. Laura Haddock plays Jan Mallam. Haddock is known for The Recruit and What It Feels Like For A Girl.
Michael Nardone plays Peter. Nardone has appeared in Traces and The Night Manager. Daniela Nardini also joins the cast. Nardini shot to fame in the 1990s BBC legal drama This Life. Sally Howitt, Stuart Bowman, Neshla Caplan, and Stephen Purdon round out the supporting cast.
Mhairi Black Makes Her Acting Debut
Former SNP MP Mhairi Black joins the cast in her first television acting role. She plays Detective Inspector Bridges in four of the eight episodes. Black said she has been relishing trying different things since leaving politics.
“I’m excited to be joining Counsels and look forward to getting stuck in to playing Detective Inspector Bridges. I’ve been relishing trying different things since politics, this is my first TV acting role and I really enjoyed auditioning for the part.” — Mhairi Black said in a statement.
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What Counsels Is About
Counsels follows the lives of a group of twentysomething lawyers in Glasgow at the moment when their careers finally become serious. They work across the legal landscape as public prosecutors, representatives of glossy commercial firms, and the shabby but good-hearted last resort for people with nothing left to lose.
The group trained together at an elite law school and now find themselves scattered across the profession, facing each other in court. They are colleagues competing for promotions, lovers trying to hold on to each other as ambitions accelerate, and adversaries both professionally and personally.
The series is co-created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley and Gillian McCormack. Elsley previously co-created the E4 drama Skins, which launched the careers of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, Daniel Kaluuya, and Kaya Scodelario.
“I am delighted to be leading with Gillian McCormack on Counsels. We look forward to introducing a galaxy of Scottish acting, writing and directing talent to our audience. Set entirely in Glasgow, we hope to bring the city vividly to life and fill it with arresting stories and characters.” — Bryan Elsley said in a statement.
Elsley said the series sets itself apart from traditional British legal dramas about wigs and wealthy people. Most of the cases in Counsels involve shoplifting, assault, and petty crime, but those cases change the lives of the lawyers involved.
Production Team and Release Details
Counsels is made by Balloon Entertainment in association with Banijay Rights and in co-production with ZDFneo. The series is supported by Screen Scotland. It is part of the biggest BBC investment in drama in Scotland in over a decade.
Bryan Elsley and Gillian McCormack write and executive produce the series. Further episodes are written by Maryam Hamidi and Jingan Young. Brian Kaczynski produces, and Lynsey Miller and Siri Rødnes direct.
The eight episodes are each 60 minutes long. Counsels will be available on BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and BBC Scotland in early 2027. The series will also be distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.
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