Legal aide for a killer

FEARLESS ITV, 9pm

A TEENAGE boy is sobbing in bed on his 14th birthday – and it’s not because he didn’t get the latest Xbox game he wanted. This is a thriller, so you can guarantee something much more miserable is afoot. It turns out Jason’s dad Kevin Russell is in prison, where he has been held for 14 years for killing schoolgirl Linda Simms. But Kevin has always maintained his innocence, and Jason’s mum, Kevin’s ex-fiance Annie (Rebecca Callard), is desperate to prove it. With renewed passion (after the birthday tears), Annie approaches hot-shot human rights lawyer Emma Banville (Helen Mccrory), a woman who has built her career defending lost causes. “I know he didn’t kill that girl,” Annie pleads. “I owe it to Jason to prove that his dad isn’t a killer.” To be fair to her, she has tried to convince 40 law firms to take the case – so fighting his corner isn’t just a recent thing. But Kevin, unsurprisingly, is a tad fed up with lawyers and people in general. He says a detective manipulated him to make a confession as it would help him in court and improve access to his son. Emma is straight on it, firmly believing there has been a miscarriage of justice. But hang on a minute, why is Emma being tracked by intelligence officers? And why is she having clandestine meetings with clients in car parks? Suddenly this is not just a legal drama, but a spy thriller, all stealth and dodgy burner phones. Did I mention this was created by the writer of Homeland and 24? Also starring Sir Michael Gambon, Wunmi Mosaku, Jonathan Forbes, John Bishop and Jamie Bamber, this a gripping three-parter not to be missed.