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Episode 1

Politician Jeremy Thorpe begins a whirlwind affair with a stable hand, Norman Scott. But when the relationship turns sour, Norman becomes a secret Jeremy is desperate to hide.

Series Synopsis - Adapted from John Preston’s book “A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment” by Russell T Davies (Dr Who, Queer As Folk, Cucumber) and directed by Stephen Frears (Florence Foster Jenkins, Philomena, Dangerous Liaisons), starring Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as Norman Scott. A Very English Scandal is the shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy to murder. It's the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been decriminalized, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party and the youngest leader of any British political party in a hundred years, has a secret he's desperate to hide. As long as Norman Scott, his vociferous ex-lover is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk, and eventually Thorpe can see only one way to silence Scott for good. The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed politics forever as the British public discovered the darkest secrets of the Establishment and the lengths they’d go to conceal them.

56 minutes

Last on

Mon 10 Dec 201822:00

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Music Played

  • The Easybeats

    Friday On My Mind

Credits

RoleContributor
WriterRussell T Davies
Jeremy ThorpeHugh Grant
Norman ScottBen Whishaw
Peter BessellAlex Jennings
Lord ArranDavid Bamber
Emlyn HoosonJason Watkins
Ursula ThorpePatricia Hodge
MessengerChris Ashby
Sergeant-at-armsAndrew French
Norman Van de WaterNicholas Blane
Diana StaintonNaomi Battrick
Leo AbseAnthony O'Donnell
Lord KilmuirJohn Bett
Countess of ArranSusan Wooldridge
Returning OfficerNick Malinowski
Mike SteeleMorgan Watkins
BBC Radio InterviewerBen Moor
LynMichelle Fox
Luke MackenzieDaryl McCormack
Caroline AllpassAlice Orr-Ewing
AuthorJohn Preston
DirectorStephen Frears
ProducerDan Winch
Executive ProducerRussell T Davies
Executive ProducerDiarmuid McKeown
Executive ProducerGraham Broadbent
Executive ProducerPeter Czernin
Executive ProducerDominic Treadwell-Collins
Executive ProducerLucy Richer
Executive ProducerStephen Frears

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Who's Who: The key players

Learn more about the key players in A Very English Scandal based on true events.

BBC News: The letter that stopped Jeremy Thorpe from giving evidence

BBC News: The letter that stopped Jeremy Thorpe from giving evidence

Why did Jeremy Thorpe not defend himself from charges he vehemently denied?