The Magistrate (miniseries)

The Magistrate is a 1989 British television miniseries adaptation of Arthur Wing Pinero's 1885 farce of the same name. Produced by the BBC, it starred Nigel Hawthorne in the lead role of Mr. Posket, the titular magistrate. The three-part series follows the chaotic events that unfold when Posket, a stern and proper magistrate, attempts to conceal the fact that his stepson, Cis Farringdon, is actually much older than he claims to be. The deception leads to a series of increasingly absurd and compromising situations involving mistaken identities, police raids, and frantic attempts to maintain appearances. The miniseries retains the play's Victorian setting and farcical style.