Unhappy lighting

It looks like ITV Daytime has got a minor hit on its hands with the arrival of Judge Rinder (rhymes with tinder). Shamelessly borrowing from the American Judge Judy, Rob Rinder (not yet a judge, but called to the Bar in 2001, and working out of chambers at 2 Hare Court) settles real small claim cases in a fantasy courtroom set at MediaCity UK, and wields a gavel - which British judges don't.

Rob, boasting a 1st Hons in Politics and Modern History from Manchester, a spell with the National Youth Theatre and a personal best marathon time of 2 hours 47 minutes, has celeb connections. Last year, he married his partner, fellow barrister Seth Cumming (who once wrote speeches for George Osborne) in a ceremony at the Hacienda Hotel, Ibiza, presided over by Benedict Cumberbatch, and attended by Ivan Massow, Julie Burchill and Ben de Lisi.

 Here are some of his bon mots from episode 1 - maybe Seth writes his gags too:

“You’re the type of woman that frankly, if you’d been at the Last Supper you’d have asked for ketchup”
“I can smell a lie like a fart in a lift"
“The problem is, there’s a lovely phrase, which, let me tell you, in Darlington they think of nothing else, it’s called Caveat Emptor.”