Judge John Deed backdrop
WAR & POLITICS . 2001-2007 . 7 Seasons . 6.7/10

Judge John Deed_

Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.

Created By G.F. Newman
Network BBC One
Episodes 29
6.7/10
Rating
7
Seasons
29
Episodes
ENDED
Status
Updated Feb 16, 2026
Judge John Deed poster

Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.

WHERE TO WATCH

No streaming data available yet.

Check availability

DROPTHE_ GOSSIP

Overview
Judge John Deed has 7 seasons with 29 episodes spanning 2001-2007.
Cast
Jenny Seagrove stars as Jo Mills in Judge John Deed.
Jenny Seagrove →
Year context
Judge John Deed first aired 25 years ago in 2001.

SEASONS (7 seasons, 29 episodes)

SEASON 1Details coming soon
SEASON 2Details coming soon
SEASON 3Details coming soon
SEASON 4Details coming soon
SEASON 5Details coming soon
SEASON 6Details coming soon
SEASON 7Details coming soon

SERIES INFO

7
Seasons
29
Episodes
Ended
Status

CREW

Creator
G.F. Newman

NETWORKS (1)

BBC One

DETAILS

First Aired
Last Aired
Status
Ended
Seasons
7
Episodes
29
Rating
6.7/10 (11 votes)
IMDB

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Judge John Deed about?
Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.
How many seasons does Judge John Deed have?
Judge John Deed has 7 seasons with 29 episodes total.
Who created Judge John Deed?
Judge John Deed was created by G.F. Newman.
Who stars in Judge John Deed?
The cast of Judge John Deed includes Jenny Seagrove, Martin Shaw, Louisa Clein, Donald Sinden, Simon Chandler.
What is the rating of Judge John Deed?
Judge John Deed has a rating of 6.7 out of 10 based on 11 votes on TMDB.
Is Judge John Deed still running?
Judge John Deed has ended. The final episode aired on .

GENRES (3)

War & Politics Drama Crime
SHARE