The Law Show

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BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

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Conversation about the laws making headlines, and the laws that shape everyday life.

The Law Show is your guide to the law and the legal decisions that have a bearing on everyone in the UK.

Weekly conversation that will give you an in-depth understanding of the law stories making news and the legal decisions that could have a bearing on everyone in the UK. Whether it's unpicking a landmark legal ruling, explaining how laws are made or seeking clarity for you on a legal issue, The Law Show will be your guide.

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The Law Show: Assisted dying, County court judgments, Drill music and ... nakedness

Assisted dying, County court judgments, Drill music and ... nakedness

BBC Radio 4 - The Law Show, Assisted dying, County court judgments, Drill music and ... nakedness

Your guide to the law and the legal decisions that have a bearing on everyone in the UK. This week: assisted dying, county court judgments, and drill music as evidence in trials.

Weekly conversation led by Dr Joelle Grogan about the law stories making the news and the legal decisions that could have a bearing on everyone in the UK. Whether it’s unpicking a landmark legal ruling, explaining how laws are made or seeking clarity for you on a legal issue, The Law Show will be your guide.

This week:

Assisted dying. Jersey, the Isle of Man, and Scotland are all taking steps towards making it legal to help someone die, in very specific and limited circumstances. It's currently a crime punishable by 14 years' imprisonment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Dr Joelle Grogan is joined by Professor Emily Jackson of the LSE, a specialist in medical law, and by barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman to navigate the law around assisted dying and to explain the differences between assisted suicide and euthanasia. 

Is there a point to county court judgements if they can't be enforced? Social media's "legal queen", solicitor Tracey Maloney, answers a question from a listener, who got a county court judgment against a builder, but still hasn't got her money back. 

Art or evidence? Drill music, with its sometimes violent-sounding words, has been used by the prosecution in criminal trials to help paint a picture of the defendants as gang members.  But is it fair to claim lyrics like "try deadin' him" are proof of criminal intent, or are these words just fiction?  Senior criminal barrister and co-founder of the "Art not Evidence" campaign Keir Monteith KC argues that drill is being used unfairly against Black boys and young men. The Crown Prosecution Service insists that they “would not use this evidence if it was not relevant.”

And a listener asks: is it legal to sunbathe naked in your garden? 

Producers: Ravi Naik and Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Tara McDermott
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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The Law Show

Assisted dying, County court judgments, Drill music and ... nakedness

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