Bruce Dunbar

Bruce Dunbar

Portrayed by Phil Daniels

Seen-it-all, done-it-all, forgotten-more-than-you'll ever-know, Bruce Dunbar presents himself to the world as a typically world-weary, hard-bitten defence lawyer. After 25 years in the business he's "a bit worn out by it all".

Although he's quite a cynical guy, he's also very sharp and witty, knows the law well and doesn't suffer fools gladly. However, as the series develops and often through his interactions with Theodore Gulliver, we soon start to see beneath the hard-bitten crust. Although he would never praise Theodore to his face, he proves fiercely protective of him when a client's mother comes to him to criticise the younger man and sends her away with a flea in her ear.

At one point, after telling Theo that he could soon become the "second-worst trainee" that the firm ever had, he doesn't identify the worst one, save to say that "he also used to think he could make a difference". Guess who?

His various fears and frailties become increasingly apparent through his dealings with his ex-wife and her new partner, his teenage daughter, his many and varied clients and also Crown Prosecutor Sarah Beckenham.