The Trial on Channel 5: Plot, cast, and start date of 'provocative drama' starring Claire Skinner
By Helen Fear | Fri Apr 25 2025The Trial on Channel 5 is a brand new single drama that poses the hellish question: should a parent be held legally responsible for the crimes of their children?
The "provocative" new show stars McDonald & Dodds and Outnumbered star Claire Skinner as a mother who is put in a terrifying position after her child commits a crime.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Channel 5 drama The Trial, including plot, cast, and start date.
What is The Trial on Channel 5 about?
The plot of The Trial on Channel 5 is described as a "powerful one-off drama". A "thought-provoking special", it explores a chillingly plausible near-future in which parents are held legally responsible for the crimes of their children.
It raises unsettling questions about justice, culpability, and the limits of state control.
A synopsis from Channel 5 tell us: "Set in the United Kingdom in the not too near future, The Trial follows couple Dione and David Sinclair who are thrust into a nightmarish legal battle when their teenage daughter, Teah, commits a serious crime.
"Under a radical new law, parents are no longer just bystanders in their children's actions - they are directly accountable. Dione and David now face relentless interrogation on every aspect of their parenting, lifestyle, and past decisions. If found guilty, they could face life behind bars."
How many episodes is it?
The Trial is unusual, in that it's only one episode. It is a 60 minute drama.
Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor of Drama at Channel 5, said: "This marks an exciting new direction in our drama slate, embracing one-off, high-impact storytelling that sparks conversation."
Who is in the cast?
The drama is led by Claire Skinner, who plays mum Dione Sinclair. She is one half of the embattled parents who are struggling to defend themselves against a system that sees them as perpetrators rather than victims.
Of course, Claire is probably best known for playing Sue Brockman in Outnumbered, a role she played from 2007 until the recent 2024 Christmas Special.
She's also known for Chief Supt Mary Ormond in McDonald & Dodds, Clare in Life Begins opposite Caroline Quentin, and Beth in the Channel 5 thriller Coma.
Actor Ben Miles stars as dad David Sinclair. The silver fox currently playing morally ambiguous Tay Kolma in Andor, but previously starred as Toby in Douglas is Cancelled, Robin Allen in Hijack, and Peter Townsend in The Crown.
Between 2019 and 2022, Ben portrayed Commander Danny Hart in The Capture series 1 and 2. Romcom fans will know him as Patrick Maitland in the noughties series Coupling.
Saoirse-Monica Jackson portrays Inquisitor Sarah Willis. The Northern Irish actress recently blew us away with her performance in the BBC's This City is Ours. She's probably most famous for playing Erin Quinn in The Derry Girls, opposite The Feud star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell.
Jaz Hutchins, who played Pacific Liaison Officer in The Ipcress File, portrays Lieutenant Simons. Lastly, India Fowler stars as the troubled teenage daughter Teah Sinclair. India is best known for playing Michael Fassbender's daughter in The Agency, and Chloe Averill in ITVX drama Insomnia. As a child actress, she portrayed Ellen Mason in the Harlan Coben Netflix thriller Safe.
When's the start date? How can I watch?
The Trial airs on Thursday, May 08, 2025 at 9pm. It's just one hour.
You can watch it on Channel 5, or stream on Channel5.com.
What year is The Trial on Channel 5 set in?
The Trial is set in Britain in 2035. In the futuristic drama, a new law states that parents can be held criminally responsible for the actions of their children.
In the Big Brother-esque world, Dione and David Sinclair find themselves at the centre of a harrowing legal ordeal when their teenage daughter Teah commits a grave crime.
Arrested for a crime their underage child committed, Dione and David are thrown into the clutches of the Office of Judicial Inquisition, a powerful new branch of the Ministry of Justice.
The Sinclairs are brought to a repurposed magistrates' court which is now a tribunal exclusively used to prosecute guardians as accessories to juvenile crimes.
Once there, the scared parents come face to face with Judicial Inquisitor Sarah Willis, who is determined to uncover every flaw in their parenting. No detail of their past is off-limits.
If found guilty, the consequences are devastating: a life sentence for crimes they didn't commit but may still be deemed responsible for. Yikes.
What is Milligan's Law? Is it real?
In The Trial, Milligan's Law is a controversial statute that holds parents criminally responsible for the actions of their children.
Milligan's Law is not real, but it's not a million miles away from what could happen in the future. In fact, the case of the Crumbley family made headlines last year across the globe.
In April 2024, James and Jennifer Crumbley became the first US parents to receive prison sentences for a crime committed by their child. Their son Ethan - who was 15 at the time - killed four students and injured seven others. He is serving life in prison without parole.
Parents James and Jennifer Crumbley were each sentenced to 10-15 years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges. They were found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter - one for each victim who died.
