2018’s “A Very English Scandal,” based on the 2016 book of the same name by John Preston, ended up a critical darling for BBC with lots of overseas appeal. Now, Blueprint Pictures is back for a new iteration of the miniseries, “A Very British Scandal,” with an all-new serial ripped straight from the British tabloids.
What’s the focus of the new series? The highly-publicized divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, “one of the most notorious, extraordinary, and brutal legal cases of the 20th century,” so says the show’s synopsis.
READ MORE: Claire Foy & Paul Bettany To Star in Amazon/BBC’s ‘A Very British Scandal’ Limited Series
Here’s more on the upcoming series:
Famed for her charisma, beauty, and style, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, dominated the front pages as the divorce exposed accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, bribery, and an explicit Polaroid picture that was to haunt her for the rest of her life. 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 reveled in her fall from grace.
“A Very British Scandal” boasts a large ensemble cast of notable British film and TV stars, headlined by Claire Foy, Paul Bettany, and Julia Davis. The show also stars Amanda Drew, Richard McCabe, Phoebe Nichols, Camille Ruthford, Timothy Renouf, and Sophia Myles. Sophie Ward, Tim Steed, Katherine Manners, and Richard Goulding round out the main cast.
Norwegian director Anna Sewitsky directed the shows’ three one-hour episodes. Sarah Phelps, well known for her many BBC adaptations, pens the script.
Tune into another scandalous serial when “A Very British Scandal” finally comes to Amazon Prime Video on April 22. Check out the trailer below.