Brothers In Law

Adapted from Henry Cecil’s celebrated 1955 novel, Brothers In Law made a confident and charming transition to BBC television in 1962. Already familiar to audiences via a radio version (with Donald Sinden) and a well-received 1957 film starring Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas, the story of bumbling young barrister Roger Thursby was well placed for a small-screen incarnation—and it didn’t disappoint.

The television series marked the first major starring role for a then 27-year-old Richard Briers, whose performance as the green but earnest pupil barrister set the tone for a career defined by affable, intelligent comedy. Briers was spotted as a rising star by comedy great Frank Muir, who, together with long-time collaborator Denis Norden, was responsible for adapting the novel for television. With the legal authenticity of Henry Cecil—still sitting as a County Court judge at the time—and his urbane wit enriching the scripts with additional material, the result was a sitcom that stood out for its intellectual polish and deft humour.

Set in the genteel but baffling world of London chambers, Thursby’s misadventures in law were wryly observed and endearingly chaotic. Richard Waring played the dry-witted Henry Balgrove, Thursby's mentor, while June Barry offered a note of romantic stability as Thursby’s girlfriend Sally Mannering. John Glyn-Jones added further comic gravitas to the ensemble. The legal setting, rather than serving as dry backdrop, was a source of constant bemusement and comedic misunderstanding—clearly the product of Cecil’s first-hand experience of the bar and bench.

The show’s final episode introduced the character of Mr Justice Duncannon, a wry Scottish judge with a taste for whisky and women, played by Andrew Cruickshank. This paved the way for the spin-off series Mr Justice Duncannon (1963), where Cruickshank, on hiatus from Dr. Finlay's Casebook, brought a wonderfully sardonic depth to a role that danced between comic severity and warm indulgence.

Notably, Brothers In Law was also the television debut of Yootha Joyce, later to become a stalwart of British comedy. Richard Waring, who balanced acting with writing duties on the series, would go on to create Marriage Lines for Briers the following year, and later become a key figure in British television comedy with series like The World of Wooster, Not In Front of the Children and Rings on Their Fingers.

Though the television run of Brothers In Law was relatively brief, the format proved durable. In 1970, Waring revived the series for BBC Radio 4, with Briers and Glyn-Jones reprising their roles for an impressive 39-episode run—further testament to the appeal of Cecil’s clever blend of farce, satire and social observation.

Brothers In Law stands as a finely-crafted slice of early 1960s British sitcom. Sharp, literate and genuinely funny, it also marked the beginning of Richard Briers’ rise as one of the most beloved actors in British comedy, and showcased the seamless interplay between law and laughter that Henry Cecil had so uniquely mastered.

Review – Laurence Marcus