Six Days of Justice: Excuse Me, Madam (ITV 22 May 1973, with Joyce Heron)

In Excuse Me, Madam, elderly Mrs Lindley is in the magistrates court on a charge of shoplifting from a supermarket. Lindley had been found with three beauty care items from a display in her bag. However she claims that a child who was nearby put them in her bag without her knowledge. The child’s mother, Mrs Shaw, appears in court to back up Mrs Lindley’s story explaining that it is not the first time he has done something like that. The Supermarket’s store detective and a cashier claim though that they saw Mrs Lindley put the items in her bag herself.

Despite her protestations of innocence Mrs Lindley is caught out in a lie over the gloves she may have or may not have been wearing that proves she would have known the items were in her bag.

A strong script from the always excellent Trevor Preston and another good example of how things are not always cut and dried. Mrs Lindley clearly has a few issues going on and despite the case being proven the magistrates decide to delay passing sentence so that more about her circumstances can be discovered.

The episode opens with a young woman, Miss Willis (played by a young Diana Quick) in the court on a charge of not having a train ticket. This is dealt with quite quickly but Quick’s brief performance is excellent and it would have been interesting to see more of her story.

production details
UK / ITV – Thames / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Tuesday 22 May 1973 at 9.00pm

Writer: Trevor Preston / Production Design: Fred Pusey / Director: Peter Duguid

Series: Six Days of Justice Season 2 Episode 4

cast
Jill Balcon as Chairman of Bench
Joyce Heron as Mrs Lindley
Sam Dastor as Meyers
Ian Marter as Sutton
Diana Quick as Miss Willis
Gordon Faith as Rhodes
George Waring as Clerk
Ivan Beavis as Warrant Officer
Gillian Martell as Miss Miall
Mark Dignam as Houghton
Andrew Bradford as P.C. Odell
Gabriele Lloyd as Miss Peagram
Hilary Martyn as Mrs Shaw
Meadows White as Usher
Richard Young as Second Magistrate
Donald Groves as Third Magistrate