Murder One - Series 1

Chapter 8 with Jason Gedrick: he looks back with some nostalgia at this episode, as if surprised how good it was. He's gushy, natural and unguarded, which is refreshing. Every time Bobbie Phillips, who plays the victim's sister, appears on screen, his voice cracks. He remembers that she brought her mother's fudge on set, which was much appreciated. "She could give me shoe leather and I'd eat it," he whimpers.

He's gossipy and giggly. "I'm going to ramble," he warns, and does. He's full of kind words about the show and his fellow actors and it doesn't sound false. He has come back years later to grace us with his commentary and feels genuinely pleased how well Murder One has stood the test of time. "Every scene you want to watch," he says. "There is no fat on it." This is true.

He is generous with praise, particularly for Daniel ("the pillar") Benzali. "His eyes are so still; his body is so still." He thinks J C MacKenzie should be the next Jimmy Stewart, Patricia Clarkson is "wonderful" and Dylan Baker "was great, too." Words fail him when Bobbie is mentioned and even Mary McCormack has him speechless with admiration.

"You look back," he says, "and think, WOW! that was great."

In one of the scenes Neil Avedon cries and Gedrick is proud that he managed it convincingly, but annoyed that the camera moved away just at the moment when the tears began to flow. He reminds us that he has a tape of the rushes at home, showing him blubbing for real and he wants everyone to know.

Trivia footnote: by this stage in the series Gedrick hasn't any idea whether Avedon is guilty, or not. He considers this a clever move by the producers, because it brought an added tension to his performance.

Chapter 15 with Randy Zisk: he is conventional and controlled. Chapter 15 is the first of three episodes he directed for the show.

"You come in seven days before shooting," he says. "And you shoot for eight days. We used two cameras in every scene."

He waxes lyrical about the style, calling it unique and exceptional. "It was a great script, amazing cast. Only someone like Steve could get such people together." He's talking about Steven Bocho, the producer/co-director/creator of Murder One, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue and L.A Law. Obviously there is history here of high quality, ground-breaking TV series.

He talks about Dana Benzali ("great to work with, so powerful, so intense"), Stanley Tucci ("such great charisma"), MacKenzie and McCormack ("so quirky and interesting and likeable") with the ardour of a fan. In fact, the commentary begins to sound like a public relations exercise, which weakens its impact.

Featurette - Making The Case: an ensemble interview sesh with actors, producers, the odd director and persons unknown sounds and looks like a group hug at The Mutual Admiration Society's monthy love-in. Everyone is so positive about the special privilege of working with such wonderful people.

Stanley Tucci is missing, which feels significant, since his presence in the series is so vital. It would be wrong to suggest that the others are gushing by numbers. They're not. Many make a point of comparing Murder One with L.A Law and then insisting that there is no comparison. Obviously, they feel deeply affected by the good intentions of the writers and filmmakers, as well as the team spirit.

Daniel Benzali says he saw his character as an embattled man "in the model of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe," but admits by the end that "I never got to be Philip Marlowe, I got to be Ted Hoffman and will always be grateful for that."

Mary McCormack was astonished by how big the whole thing was, since she had never been in a TV series before, while J C MacKenzie couldn't believe his luck, having to kiss gorgeous girls - or rather, one gorgeous girl, Bobbie P - "over and over again."

Actors talking about acting is seldom a complete yawn, especially when they enjoy it, and this is no exception.