Court proceedings in England and Wales are to be filmed by television cameras in an experiment seeking to promote greater understanding of the judiciary.

The government wants to ensure justice is "seen to be done" by more people and is launching a consultation paper on Monday setting out a range of options.

Cameras have been installed in the appeal courts of the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls.

Witnesses and defendants will not be filmed and although the footage will be edited into programmes they will never be broadcast.

The company which televises parliamentary debates will be responsible for the filming.

As part of Lord Falconer's consultation the finished programmes will be considered by broadcasters, judges and ministers.

The constitutional affairs secretary said that if the justice system "does not do justice in public, it risks slipping into unacceptable behaviour and losing public confidence".

Since 1992 very limited broadcasts of proceedings of Scottish courts have been allowed but the level of permission needed from all those involved has meant very few trials have been televised.

However experts say the filming of the Lockerbie bombing appeal case was a success.

In order to protect witnesses and victims of crime, Lord Falconer would prefer to restrict TV cameras to appeal courts where they are less likely to have to appear.

"Our criminal justice system rests on people giving evidence and no change to make our courts more open and more accessible should worsen or jeopardise in any way witnesses and victims," he said.

The consultation will consider how other countries operate but the government will not be adopting the American approach.

"We don't want our courts turned into US-style media circuses. We will not have OJ Simpson-style trials in Britain," Lord Falconer said.