Sutherland's Law Series One   Starring: Iain Cuthbertson, Gareth Thomas, Maev Alexander and Don McKillop Acorn Media UK RRP: £24.99 AV9642 Certificate: 12 Available 01 June 2009

In a world before DNA revealed culprits scientifically, policing and prosecution relied upon instinct, insight and experience to guide them in their investigations. In Scottish Law the Procurator Fiscal is the public prosecutor, and in that role Iain Cuthbertson as John Sutherland strode the legal landscape like a colossus, bringing this unique legal concept to a wide audience and great acclaim when the series were broadcast between 1973 and 1976...

Sutherland's Law was a BBC Scotland production which ran between 1973 - 1976. Unfortunately, for fans of the series, not all of the episodes are still in existence and this three-disc box set contains the ten surviving episodes from the thirteen which made up series one.

Those that enjoy detective dramas today may find Sutherland's Law a little hard to swallow. The series has not aged very well and there's a noticeable shift in quality between the exterior shots and the rather badly lit studio scenes. The sets are wooden, the acting is appalling, and in places the series is unintentionally hilarious.

John Sutherland finds himself in conflict at times with the police, the community and even his co-workers in his pursuit of truth and justice. The cases in this collection include a widow returning to the home of her murdered husband in search of something other than revenge; a dead body which could lead to a stolen fortune; a runaway child looking for her mother who only finds trouble; a fatal climbing incident that may have been no accident; and a murderer who escaped the law but cannot escape his fate.

Extras include a Picture Gallery and Cast Filmographies.

From an historical point of view this is interesting, but as modern entertainment it leaves a lot to be desired. This is one for those that remember the show from its original broadcast.

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Nick Smithson