Legal Fictions - TNT

As short stories, this pair of slightly whimsical, affectionate but creaky episodes (originally written for radio by Rumpole creator John Mortimer in 1957 and 1982) would no doubt yield mild, unchallenging pleasure with their gentle mockery of the legal system. The Dock Brief features an ageing, incompetent barrister who takes on the defence of Nicholas Woodeson's working class bird-fancier — a man who freely admits to murdering his unbearably jolly wife. Edwin is about a retired judge who has too much time on his hands and questions the paternity of his son. But at just over an hour each, the two parts of this show are overstretched, making you wish Edward Fox, in the central roles, would speed up his cut-glass drawl and get to the unlikely twists far faster.
Savoy, Strand, WC2 (0870-164 8787). Until April 26. £45-£20