a few months before the beginning of the perjury trial, archer began performing in the star role in a courtroom play (which he also wrote) called "the accused". the play was staged at london's theatre royal haymarket and concerns the court trial of an alleged murderer from beginning to end. the play used the innovation of assigning the role of jury in the trial to the audience, with theatre-goers voting on whether archer's character was innocent or guilty at the end of each night's performance. archer would attend his real trial during the day and be judged in his fictional trial at the theatre in the evening.