"Nothing But the Truth" features a very young and long haired, Ewan McGregor in a role that leaves everyone guessing to the very end. Did he or didn't he? Who's telling the truth? Who is the real victim? One of the series from Kavanagh QC (Queen's Counsel), the superior storyline evidence the high caliber of British drama that Americans rarely find on regular mundane weekly television except PBS Masterpiece Theater. In the title role is the late versatile character actor, John Thaw as James Kavanagh a champion for equal justice in and out of the court. He is harried with an enormous case load, and faces the shaky possibility of loosing his unhappy marriage, as well as his spoiled yuppie puppy offspring at home. Adding to his problems is the case of the Crown versus David Armstrong (Ewan McGregor).
McGregor's character is a young Cambridge student accused of raping an older woman who is the client of a construction company where David works as a summer laborer. The son of an industrial captain, David has wealth, and the good reputation of a gentleman. He is candid and forthright making him a perfect client. Kavanagh is confident and assured of David's innocence. The alleged rape victim (Alison Steadman) is a forty-something housewife. She has an unfaithful husband and her failing marriage leaves her lonely and vulnerable. Not so old that she is unattractive, Kavanagh argues she is not the kind of woman a rich and hot Cambridge boy would have an interest. He asserts the accuser enticed David into her home for a little 'afternoon delight'.
At the crux of the episode is the prejudice that rape is the fault of the victim. Who do we believe -- adorable and respectable David, or a troubled housewife with an itch for firm young flesh? As lawyers spar and examine the incident, the prejudices that surround issues of older women/younger man, class, status, and rape in today's society becomes all the more raw, exposed, and incendiary.
