BBC, Amazon uncover another Scandal

Hugh Grant (left) and Ben Whishaw in A Very English Scandal

The BBC and Amazon Studios are following up their multi-award-winning drama A Very English Scandal with another miniseries about a scandalous moment in British history, starring Claire Foy (The Crown) and Paul Bettany (Wandavision).

A Very British Scandal (3×60′) will focus on the divorce of the Duke (Bettany) and Duchess of Argyll (Foy), one of the most extraordinary legal cases of the 20th century.

Written by Sarah Phelps (The Pale Horse, Dublin Murders) and produced by A Very English Scandal maker Blueprint Pictures, it will premiere on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer in the UK and will be available on Amazon Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Sony Pictures Television, which has a minority stake in Blueprint’s TV arm, is the international distributor and brokered the deal with Amazon Studios.

Famed for her charisma, beauty and style, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, dominated the front pages as a divorce involving accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, secret recording, bribery and an explicit polaroid picture unfolded in the white-hot glare of the 1960s media.

The miniseries was commissioned by Piers Wenger, director of the BBC’s drama department, and Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer. Filming will take place across the UK later this year, with further casting in due course. Amazon Studios is coproducing in the US.

A Very British Scandal will be directed by Anne Sewitsky and produced by Chris Ballantyne, with executive producers Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Diarmuid McKeown and Delyth Scudamore for Blueprint Pictures and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Phelps, Anne Sewitsky, Foy, Kate Triggs and Dominic Treadwell-Collins also exec produce.

Starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal, adapted from a book by journalist John Preston, launched on the BBC and Amazon in 2018 and told the true story of Jeremy Thorpe, the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy to murder following a secret gay relationship in the 1960s and 70s. It was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears.

Phelps said: “Writing the story of Margaret’s life and the events leading up to and including her divorce from the Duke has been a passion project of mine since 1993 when I first heard her name and started learning about her. I felt very strongly that she’d been punished for being a woman, for being visible, for refusing to back down, be a good girl and go quietly. This drama is my tribute to her.”

Wenger said: “Argyll v Argyll was one of the defining scandals of the 1960s. In the face of vilification in the press, Margaret fought valiantly, but often in vain, to control the narrative around her.”

Brad Beale, VP of worldwide licensing for Prime Video, added: “A Very English Scandal was a tremendous success among Prime Video customers and critics alike, and we’re incredibly excited to work with the BBC and Blueprint again.”