Written and created by Sarah Phelps, A Very British Scandal premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 26 December 2021, and on Amazon Prime Video on 22 April 2022.
Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll, is a member of the Scottish nobility and the House of Lords in the early 1960s. He meets socialite Margaret Whigham Sweeny and falls in love with her while he is still married to his second wife, Louise.
After marrying Margaret, Ian Campbell announces that he intends to leave his estate to his oldest son. Margaret―who stands to gain nothing in the event of her new husband's death―starts rumours that Ian's children are illegitimate.
It became a notorious and scandalous legal case, featuring accusations of adultery, forgery, theft, domestic violence, drug use and bribery.[7] The series explores the social and political climate of post-war Britain and attitudes toward women in the 1960s.[8]
In March 2021, it was announced that Claire Foy and Paul Bettany had been cast in the lead roles and that Sarah Phelps would write and executive produce, with Anne Sewitsky directing and executive producing.[2][9]
The series premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC One on December 26, 2021, and released in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on Prime Video on April 22, 2022.[7]
In the United States, Amazon released A Very British Scandal as the second season of A Very English Scandal.
Critical reception
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the series five out of five stars, praising the writing and casting of the leads, as well as the portrayal of Margaret Campbell as an independent woman but not as a heroic figure.[11] Ed Cumming of The Independent also gave the series five out of five stars, writing that Foy and Bettany are "both exceptional."[12] Carol Midgley of The Times was less complimentary, awarding three out of five stars, but also praising Foy.[13] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave it two out of five stars, criticising the shift in tone and style from A Very English Scandal, and feeling that it failed to make Margaret a sympathetic character.[14]
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), for which he garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce from her second husband, Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll.
Duke of Argyll is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful noble families in Scotland. As such, they played a major role in Scottish history throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The Duke of Argyll also holds the hereditary titles of chief of Clan Campbell and Master of the Household of Scotland.
Inveraray Castle is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.
Torquhil Ian Campbell, 13th and 6th Duke of Argyll, styled as Earl of Campbell before 1973 and as Marquess of Lorne between 1973 and 2001, is a Scottish peer.
George Carlyle Emslie, Baron Emslie, was a Scottish judge.
Charles John Robert Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland,, styled Marquess of Granby until 1940, was a British peer and landowner.
Ian Campbell, 12th and 5th Duke of Argyll,, styled Marquess of Lorne between 1949 and 1973, was a Scottish peer and Chief of Clan Campbell. He was the 12th Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of Scotland, 5th Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute.
Charles Eliot Jauncey, Baron Jauncey of Tullichettle, PC was a British judge and advocate. He was often praised as one of the finest legal minds of his generation in Scotland, and his legal opinions - both as a practising advocate and as a judge - commanded immense respect.
Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th and 4th Duke of Argyll, was a Scottish peer and the Chief of Clan Campbell. He is chiefly remembered for his unhappy marriage to, and scandalous 1963 divorce from, his third wife, Margaret Whigham.
Lady Jeanne Louise Campbell was a British socialite and foreign correspondent who wrote for the Evening Standard in the 1950s and 1960s.
Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2023), for which she received various accolades such as a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Crown is a historical drama television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Morgan developed the series from his film The Queen (2006) and his stage play The Audience (2013), which also focused on Elizabeth.
A Very English Scandal is a British historical drama miniseries created and written by Russell T Davies, based on John Preston's 2016 book of the same name. It is a dramatisation of the 1976–1979 Thorpe affair and more than 15 years of events leading up to it.
Louise Timpson, previously Louise Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, was an American socialite and, later, a British aristocrat. She was the second wife of Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll and the mother of the 12th Duke.
The second season of The Crown follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of ten episodes and was released by Netflix on 8 December 2017.
Frances Helen Manners, Duchess of Rutland was a British peeress and socialite. The wife of Charles Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland, following his death in 1999, she was known as the Dowager Duchess of Rutland.
Charles Francis Sweeny was an American businessman and socialite who played a major role in the formation of the Eagle Squadrons, composed mostly of volunteer American pilots eager to fight in the Royal Air Force prior to the United States entering into World War II.
Vera Jane Siddons Beadon, formerly Jarvis and Whigham, was a Scottish socialite, heiress, and actress. She was known as the leading witness in the internationally publicized 1963 divorce case between her stepdaughter and stepson-in-law, Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll and Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. Beadon, who was accused of having an affair with the Duke of Argyll by her stepdaughter, successfully sued the duchess for libel, slander, and conspiracy to suborn perjury. Beadon testified in court on behalf of the duke, presenting evidence supporting the duke's claim that the duchess had engaged in extramarital affairs. At the time of her death in 1999, she was the last surviving participant in the Argyll divorce case.
Katherine Manners is an English actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She is best known for her lead role as Vera Brittain in the 2008 BBC One television documentary A Woman in Love and War: Vera Brittain and for portraying Jane Corby Whigham in the 2021 Prime Video historical drama television miniseries A Very British Scandal. She has performed as a stage actress at the Royal National Theatre, Watford Palace Theatre, and West End Theatre. She was part of the international touring cast of Sam Mendes' production of Richard III. A screenwriter and playwright, Manners has written for the London Omnibus programme, and for the National Theatre with Melly Still. In 2017, she wrote and produced the play C*nt at The Yard Theatre.
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