IF EVER THERE WAS A "HALLOWEENY"-TYPE EPISODE OF CROWN COURT, THIS JUST MIGHT BE THE ONE (WITH ANOTHER POSSIBLE CANDIDATE I'LL PROBABLY TALK ABOUT LATER).
From the episode intro: "Count Alucard: real name Norman Mattson, a famous illusionist, claimed he couldn't be killed. At least that's what his publicity said. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be true. Two members of the audience fired silver bullets at him from real guns. He'd performed the act thousands of times before; always successfully. This time, one of the silver bullets pierced his chest and passed right through his body. Norman Mattson died from internal bleeding. He died before the ambulance could arrive. The police arrested his assistant Rita, who was also his wife. She was charged with murder and is appearing at Fulchester Crown Court today." Of course, there's nothing supernatural going on here but simply a murder trial for the wife of a stage magician who dressed up like Dracula. But that's Halloweeny enough for me!
The Hon. Mr. Justice Bragge (Edward Jewesbury)
There are several other reasons why this episode is such a great one for me personally. First among them is the fact that Mattson appeared under the name Count Alucard. Anyone who knows my personal mythology knows that the first words spoken between myself and my best friend Cheeks involved Count Alucard. 
David Ashford (l) & John Alkin (r)
Secondly, this soft spot in my heart is underlined about two minutes into part one of this story when a witness tells the judge, the Hon. Mr. Justice Bragge (Edward Jewesbury) that Mattson performed his illusionist act under the name of Count Alucard. "Alucard", queries the judge. "Yeah," the witness explains, "It's Dracula spelled backwards." "D-R-A- . . . ah, so it is!" replied Bragge. "I think he got the idea from some of those dreadful old films they show late at night on the box, sir, you know?" scoffs the witness. "Dracula sometimes appears as Count Alucard." How VERY VERY DARE HE throw asparagus at such beloved old films as SON OF DRACULA or, more to the point, DRACULA A.D. 1972 which itself sparked the beginning of the friendship between Cheeks and I. The very idea! Thirdly and luckily for me, this episode 
Bernard Gallagher
(or 3 episodes as the case is told as usual in 3 parts) features the appearance of some of my favourite lawyers on the show: John Alkin (Barry Deeley), Bernard Gallagher (Jonathan Fry QC), Charles Keating (James Elliot QC) and David Ashford (Charles Lotterby). 
Charles Keating (right foreground)
The only one missing is my beloved Dorothy Vernon as Helen Tate which would make my joy complete! Now, I'm certainly not going to go into the events featured in "The Death of Dracula" episodes because, suffice it to say that it is just as addictively a must-watch as any other episodes of CROWN COURT; a show I only just discovered at the beginning of this year and which I'm still working my way through. I do believe there is an atrocious but watchable post of the episodes on youtubers but I naturally watched my UK DVD of the show for full, glorious goodness! God, I love this show!
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