I’ve nothing but praise for jurors

I RECENTLY had one of the strangest jobs of my professional life: taking part in my first reality television series.

No, I haven’t been eating bugs in the jungle or taking my clothes off on a ‘love island’ or going on a blind date! All I did was join 11 other citizens in a jury discussing six disturbing real-life murder cases. Similar TV shows deal with fiction; this was all the harder for focusing on true stories.

The first episode of The Jury Room is tomorrow night on CBS Reality at 10pm (Sky 146 | Virgin 148 | Freeview 66 | Freesat 135) and the point I’m making about this show was how humbling an experience it was for me.

The producer/presenter, experienced journalist Will Hanrahan, decided that among his carefully chosen group of 12 ‘ordinary’ people, he’d like an advice columnist, with that particular ‘take’ on human issues.

But throughout the six episodes I’m as anonymous and puzzled as all the other ‘jurors’ — and just as disturbed by the crimes we were considering.

I was well outside my expertise and comfort zone — and that’s precisely how juries have to operate in real life.

How sensitive and thoughtful the other pretend jurors were. Bryn was an ex-policeman, Ben a transport worker, Trevor a retired firefighter, Tracy a housing support worker, Kerry a carer, Janet a nurse — and so on. Nearly half a century in journalism made me no more qualified than any of these honest (and delightful) people to talk about the law.

The Jury Room is an entirely serious, non-sensational series that left me realising how hard it must be to join a real jury (which I never have), knowing you have such a responsibility.

It also reminded me that the views of ‘real’ people are just as valid as those of experts. If that makes me sound like Michael Gove, so be it.

The Jury Room left me more convinced than ever of the gut wisdom and good instincts of so-called ‘ordinary’ people. I salute them.