A first look at BBC One’s upcoming drama A Very British Scandal has been unveiled.
A Very British Scandal focuses on the divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, one of the most notorious, extraordinary and brutal legal cases of the 20th century.
Bafta-nominated Paul Bettany (WandaVision; Uncle Frank; Avengers: Infinity War) and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Claire Foy (The Crown; Wolf Hall) will star as the Duke and Duchess respectively with Julia Davis (Nighty Night, Gavin & Stacey) as Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava.
Further casting for the limited series includes: Amanda Drew (The Trial Of Christine Keeler, Trust), Richard McCabe (Poldark, Harlots), Phoebe Nicholls (The Elephant Man, Fortitude), Camilla Rutherford (Phantom Thread, Fleming), Timothy Renouf (Afterlife Of The Party, The Laureate), Sophia Myles (A Discovery Of Witches, Spooks), Sophie Ward (The Moonstone, Land Girls), Tim Steed (The Death Of Stalin, Cruella), and Katherine Manners (Press, War & Peace).
Richard Goulding (The Crown, The Murders At White House Farm); Jonathan Aris (Sherlock, The Night Manager); Oliver Chris (Trying, King Charles III); Nicholas Rowe (Roadkill, Young Sherlock Holmes); and Miles Jupp (The Durrells, Rev) will also star.
A teaser for the series shares: “Famed for her charisma, beauty and style, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, dominated the front pages as a divorce featuring accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, secret recording, bribery and an explicit polaroid picture – all played out in the white-hot glare of the 1960s media.
“A Very British Scandal turns this scandal inside out in order to explore the social and political climate of post-war Britain, looking at attitudes towards women, and asking whether institutional misogyny was widespread at the time.
“As her contemporaries, the press, and the judiciary sought to vilify her, Margaret kept her head held high with bravery and resilience, refusing to go quietly as she was betrayed by her friends and publicly shamed by a society that revelled in her fall from grace.”
The series will be written by Sarah Phelps (The Pale Horse; Dublin Murders) and directed by Anne Sewitsky.
A Very British Scandal comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer over the Christmas and New Year period. An exact release date for the three-part series is to be confirmed
Meanwhile the show will be available in 2022 on Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Picture: (L-R) Margaret (CLAIRE FOY) – (C) Blueprint Pictures – Photographer: Nick Wall
