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Pioneering barrister William Garrow returns to the Old Bailey to champion the rights of prisoners against the power of the State.

By the start of this series, Garrow has achieved a degree of celebrity for fearlessly tackling the establishment through the courts. But it is a reputation that comes at a price. As he challenges the status quo and exposes the double standards at the heart of 18th-century law he makes powerful enemies.

When Lady Sarah Hill needs his help and his love, he's forced to re-evaluate his life and fight for their future. Ultimately, it's a battle that puts him in the dock – accused of criminal conversation (an 18th-century euphemism for adultery) by his old adversary, Sir Arthur Hill.

"After some time away, Garrow arrives back in London, eager to see old acquaintances and pick up where he left off," says Andrew. "However, all is not as it was.

"His relationship with Lady Sarah has changed. She gets to him, she knows him, she makes him waver and makes him distracted. Garrow pines for Lady Sarah, loves being around her, loves her company and the conversations they have. He never seems to have the same barrister-like confidence when he's around her. But Southouse isn't happy about their relationship.

"In the first series, Garrow and Silvester were enemies and that's not entirely changed – certainly not, definitely not. They accept what each other stands for, occasionally leaning towards admiration and respect, but, more often than not, Garrow would like to zip Silvester up in a sportsbag and chuck him downstream, so to speak.

"I like Garrow's bite and aggression, which doesn't really seem to fit into that period. There was something about the writing in Garrow's Law which struck a chord with me. I like and respect Garrow's attacking nature, the fire in his belly and his need for justice. I think the 18th century needed someone like Garrow to come along and break the mould.

"Garrow seems like a modern, forward-thinking man of his time. I chatted to Tony [Marchant] about this during the first series and it just seems to me that Garrow didn't think like anyone else at that time. He was one on his own fighting for change.

"He's constantly blurting out these unthinkable thoughts in court and questioning everything, which was deeply unsettling for the court but also entertaining for the jury. I think Garrow relished the entertainment value of the courts because it's like theatre.

"I read a lot about Garrow. He's hot-headed, intemperate, rude, at times aggressive, vulnerable, child-like, cheeky, pathetic, passionate, disrespectful, respectful, open, eager – that's William Garrow. But, above all else, he was a very influential, flawed, yet brilliant man.

"My dad used to work for customs at Manchester Airport and he would always come home and tell tales about his questioning techniques and how he spotted when something didn't quite add up. Simple questions which could make all the difference from 'who's coming to collect you,' or even the fact that they'd spent six weeks in Montego Bay and only had a very small suitcase – he learned to spot when something wasn't quite right.

"The costumes definitely affect how you comport yourself, your breathing, how you sit, how you stand. When you first put it on it's a bit of a rigmarole. Everything's back to front and upside down and tends to pinch in all the wrong places. Seeing the clothing this time round though was like seeing an old mate. And I managed to shave a good three minutes off my getting ready time.

"But the wig is simply hot and itchy – it can make even the calmest person get ratty.

"The scripts can be tricky to learn but, as an actor, you go back to learning by a weird set of techniques. There's an old drama teacher of mine that told us to view scripts as an animation. I love the language of Garrow's Law – it's rich and poetic and a great challenge to express your thoughts and emotions in such a different way. You have to dig deeper to own the words.

"This series explores the themes of slavery, homosexuality, land ownership, marriage, murder and love.

"The first episode deals with slaves and the ships that transport them, how slaves back in the day were just perceived as cargo and how they were treated like cattle.

"If you were on a slave ship and died then it wasn't considered an issue. That is until one man stands up and takes issue with it. Superbly played by Danny Sapani – he has this incredible face which has a glimmering intensity and he has to represent all of the abuses against slaves at this time and he does it so well. So that's a really exciting opening to the series and historically speaking paved the way for the abolition of slavery.

"The second one is about homosexuality – back in the day sodomy wasn't permitted. The storyline tries to tackle the law on that front so far as if one person loves another person how can it be breaking the law?

"Episode three looks at the sea versus land. Old retired men of the sea have their lodgings in Greenwich which are being taken over by land men so it becomes about ownership and rights.

"And then, in episode four, the theme that runs through all the series as a whole, is that Garrow is entrapped in a charge of adultery with Lady Sarah submitted by her husband, Sir Arthur. And by the series finale it reaches its zenith.

"Back then if you were seen talking to another man's wife in public it was known as 'criminal conversation' and you could be charged with this offence.

"In Garrow's he hasn't committed any crime but he does love Lady Sarah, even though it puts his own career in possible jeopardy. He doesn't focus on that. He just sees Lady Sarah as a lady being unfairly treated by her husband.

"There are feelings between them but Garrow hasn't yet said whether it's love or not.
He ends up in the dock himself and is represented by an unlikely individual.

"Who knows what the future hold for Garrow. Personally I'd like to see him in the Seychelles for three to four weeks, bed, breakfast and boat hire!"