Ben Whishaw Joins Hugh Grant In Russell T Davies’ ‘A Very English Scandal’ On BBC One
Ben Whishaw has been cast opposite Hugh Grant for Russell T Davies’ upcoming adaptation of John Preston’s ‘A Very English Scandal‘ for BBC One it has been announced today.
Based on the bestselling book by the author and former Arts Editor of the Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph John Preston, ‘A Very English Scandal’ is the shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy and incitement to murder.
It is the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been decriminalised 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 his ex-lover Norman Scott is around, Thorpe’s brilliant career is at risk. Thorpe schemes and deceives – until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good. The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed society forever, illuminating the darkest secrets of the Establishment. The Thorpe affair revealed such breath-taking deceit and corruption that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true.
Written by the BAFTA Award winning writer Russell T Davies (‘Doctor Who’, ‘Queer as Folk’) and directed by Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Stephen Frears (‘High Fidelity’, ‘The Queen’, ‘Philomena’), the drama, which will air over 3 x 1 hour episodes, stars Hugh Grant in the role of Thorpe, and Whishaw as the ex-lover Scott.
“Ben Whishaw is an extraordinary actor and we are thrilled to announce he will star opposite Hugh Grant in this scandalous real-life story for BBC One,” comments Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama. “I cannot wait to see this first-class British duo bring Russell’s powerful scripts to life.”
‘A Very English Scandal‘ is expected to land on BBC One in 2018.
