# A Very English Scandal (TV series)

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.
The producers followed up A Very English Scandal in 2021 with the series A Very British Scandal, about the Argyll divorce case. On November 20, 2023, it was announced Blueprint would produce a third Scandal series, A Very Royal Scandal, based on the infamous Prince Andrew interview with Emily Maitlis.

## Plot

In 1965, Jeremy Thorpe, a Liberal Member of Parliament, must contend with disgruntled ex-lover Norman Josiffe, whom he met in 1961 and had a relationship with for several years. Thorpe had met Norman when the latter was a 21-year-old stable boy in Oxfordshire and wrote many letters to him, which Norman kept. Norman, who could never quite hold down a job, particularly not after having lost his National Insurance card, was unstable and had a penchant for drama and self-expression, both of which proved increasingly hard to deal with. When Thorpe grew tired of Norman and insisted that he leave the house he had arranged and paid for in London, the young man began to make threats. Thorpe fears exposure and the end of his political career. His fellow Liberal MP, Peter Bessell, keeps Norman silent for the time being with small amounts of money. Norman also requests a new National Insurance card from Thorpe but his request is denied since it would link Thorpe to Norman.
By 1968, Thorpe has been elected as the Leader of the Liberal Party and is the youngest man to lead the party in a century. He marries naive young Caroline Allpass and they have a baby boy. Norman has become more unstable; going by the name Norman Scott, although he gets on well with horses and dogs, he fails to keep a job or relationship, drinks too much and uses drugs. He calls Caroline and tells her about his past romance with her husband. She is stunned by this revelation.
Caroline dies in 1970, after swerving into on-coming traffic; Thorpe mourns her death. Bessell moves to the United States to escape his financial troubles. Norman continues trying to get a new National Insurance card and have his story be heard but with no success. Thorpe considers having him killed but the plans are repeatedly postponed.
In 1973, Thorpe marries Marion Stein, Countess of Harewood and continues to climb the political ladder. Unfortunately, Thorpe encounters Norman by chance, panics and tells David Holmes (an old friend from Oxford) to arrange for Norman's murder. Andrew Newton is hired for £10,000. He tries and fails spectacularly, only killing Norman's dog. Norman immediately reports the crime to the police and is convinced it was ordered by Thorpe.
This results in the 1976–79 Thorpe affair. Newton is put on trial and convicted of attempting to do harm to Norman. Soon afterwards, Norman requests from the police two letters from Thorpe he had given them in the 1960s. Thorpe decides to forestall Norman by publishing the letters himself with his own version of events and resigns as Leader of the Liberal Party in May 1976. He runs for re-election to Parliament but loses his North Devon seat to Tony Speller of the Conservatives.
Thorpe, Holmes and two other accused co-conspirators are put on trial for conspiring to murder Norman. Thorpe hires George Carman, a combative lawyer, to defend him. In May 1979, the trial begins and the media reports its every detail. Norman testifies, explaining that what he mainly wants is his National Insurance card and to have his story acknowledged. Chief Justice Cantley is flagrantly biased and sides with Thorpe in his instructions to the jury, which finds Thorpe and his co-conspirators not guilty.
The end credits note that Thorpe never held another public office. He and Marion remained married until her death in March 2014 and Thorpe died nine months later. Bessell remained in the United States until his death in 1985. Norman is still alive, owns 11 dogs and still does not have a National Insurance card.

## Cast and characters

* Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe
* Ben Whishaw as Norman Josiffe/Norman Scott
* Alex Jennings as Peter Bessell
* Patricia Hodge as Ursula Thorpe
* Monica Dolan as Marion Thorpe
* Paul Hilton as David Holmes
* Jonathan Hyde as David Napley
* Eve Myles as Gwen Parry-Jones
* David Bamber as Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran
* Jason Watkins as Emlyn Hooson
* Blake Harrison as Andrew Newton
* Michelle Fox as Lyn
* Adrian Scarborough as George Carman
* Michele Dotrice as Edna Friendship
* Alice Orr-Ewing as Caroline Allpass
* Michael Culkin as Reggie Maudling
* Susan Wooldridge as Fiona Gore, Countess of Arran
* Anthony O'Donnell as Leo Abse
* Naomi Battrick as Diana Stainton
* Dyfan Dwyfor as George Deakin

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.K. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Stephen Frears | Russell T Davies | 20 May 2018 (2018-5-20) | 5.93 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Stephen Frears | Russell T Davies | 27 May 2018 (2018-5-27) | 5.14 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Stephen Frears | Russell T Davies | 3 June 2018 (2018-6-3) | 5.80 |

## Production
### Development

The first series was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears, with Hugh Grant starring as Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as Scott. The BBC television drama was first announced on 4 May 2017, with Grant already cast as Thorpe. Ben Whishaw was announced to join the cast in August, and the rest of the cast was announced in October. Along with the further casting announcement, Amazon took the US rights for the show.

### Filming

Filming took place in London, Manchester, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Hertfordshire and South Wales. Although scenes were filmed outside the Houses of Parliament, the inner courts, interior hallways and staircase were represented by Manchester Town Hall, which is built in the same Gothic Revival style as the Palace of Westminster. The offices of Thorpe and other MPs were created at Bulstrode Park, a vacant country house in Buckinghamshire. The grounds of Bulstrode were also used for the night-time assassination attempt scene set on Exmoor.
The town of Hertford was used as a stand-in for 1970s Barnstaple, while Saunton Sands in North Devon stood in for the California beach where Peter Bessell (Alex Jennings) lives in a seaside shack. Bridgend in South Wales stood in for Dublin, while Norman's period living in Wales was filmed in and around Monknash in south Wales. The show was able to film in the lobby and exterior of the Old Bailey in London, where the show's climactic scenes take place. A Very English Scandal was the first production ever to be granted permission to film in Court One of the Old Bailey but they had to decline because of tight time restrictions and filmed the court scenes at a courthouse in Kingston upon Thames.

### Release

The series premiered on BBC One on 20 May 2018 and on Amazon Prime on 29 June 2018. The DVD was released on 2 July 2018.

## Critical reception

A Very English Scandal received very positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 97% based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 8.80/10. Rotten Tomatoes's critical consensus reads, "Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw impress in A Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society". Metacritic gives the miniseries a weighted average rating of 84 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In 2019, the series was ranked 76th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.
Norman Scott spoke out about the show's characterisation of him and its portrayal of his life. He told the Irish News that "Artistic licence is fine but this isn't my story. And there's nothing funny about someone trying to kill you...I'm portrayed as this poor, mincing, little gay person ... I also come across as a weakling and I've never been a weakling".

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Danny Cohen | Nominated | |
| 2018 | British Society of Cinematographers | Operators Award – Television Drama | Iain MacKay | Nominated | |
| 2018 | PinkNews Awards | Drama | Drama | Won | |
| 2018 | Rose d'Or | Limited Series and TV Movie | Limited Series and TV Movie | Won | |
| 2019 | Banff World Media Festival | Best Limited Series (Rockie Award) | Best Limited Series (Rockie Award) | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Cymru Awards | Best Writer | Russell T Davies | Won | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Mini-Series | Russell T Davies, Stephen Frears, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, and Dan Winch | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Leading Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Ben Whishaw | Won | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Monica Dolan | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Director – Fiction | Stephen Frears | Won | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Writer – Fiction | Russell T Davies | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Costume Design | Suzanne Cave | Won | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Editing – Fiction | Pia Di Ciaula | Won | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Make Up and Hair Design | Daniel Phillips | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Original Music | Murray Gold | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Production Design | Helen Scott | Nominated | |
| 2019 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Sound – Fiction | Sound Team | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Broadcast Awards | Best Drama Series or Serial | Best Drama Series or Serial | Won | |
| 2019 | Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Single Drama/Mini-Series | Best Single Drama/Mini-Series | Won | [33] [34] |
| 2019 | Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Actor | Hugh Grant | Won | [33] [34] |
| 2019 | Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Actor | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | [33] [34] |
| 2019 | Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Writer | Russell T Davies | Won | [33] [34] |
| 2019 | Canadian Cinema Editors Awards | Best Editing in Television Movie or Mini-Series | Pia Di Ciaula | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | Best Limited Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Ben Whishaw | Won | |
| 2019 | Dorian Awards | LGBTQ TV Show of the Year | LGBTQ TV Show of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Dorian Awards | TV Performance of the Year — Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Dorian Awards | TV Performance of the Year — Actor | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| 2019 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Limited Series or Television Film | Ben Whishaw | Won | |
| 2019 | Golden Nymph Awards | Outstanding Long Fiction Program | Outstanding Long Fiction Program | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Golden Nymph Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Long Fiction Program | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Ben Whishaw | Runner-up | |
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Costume Design in a Non-Series | Best Costume Design in a Non-Series | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie | Ben Whishaw | Won | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | Stephen Frears | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | Russell T Davies | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Awards | Best Mini-Series | Best Mini-Series | Won | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Awards | Best Actor – Male | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Awards | Best Writer – Drama | Russell T Davies | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Best Director – Drama | Stephen Frears | Won | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Best Editing – Drama | Pia Di Ciaula | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Best Make Up Design – Drama | Daniel Phillips | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Best Music – Original Score | Murray Gold | Won | |
| 2019 | Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries | Best Miniseries | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Ben Whishaw | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |
| 2019 | South Bank Sky Arts Awards | TV Drama | TV Drama | Won | |
| 2019 | Television and Radio Industries Club Awards | Best Drama Programme | Best Drama Programme | Won | |
| 2019 | USC Scripter Awards | Television | Russell T Davies; Based on the book by John Preston | Won | |
| 2019 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards | Best Short Form TV Drama | Russell T Davies | Won | |