A Very British Scandal

[Jellybean]

The scandal relates to the 1960’s Argyll v Argyll divorce case between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. It is a three part TV drama first shown on BBC One in the UK on Sunday 26th December 2021.

A review by Lucy Mangan of The Guardian and a YouTube trailer are shown below. If it piques your interest then give it a try.


TV review Television & radio

A Very British Scandal review – Claire Foy is masterful as the ‘dirty duchess’ out for blood

The crowd outside the divorce court screamed ‘Slut!’ But Margaret of Argyll would not be cowed by them, the judge or the explicit photos – as this mean, lean drama brilliantly shows

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Lucy Mangan
@LucyMangan Sun 26 Dec 2021 22.00 GMT

Well NOW it’s Christmas. Sarah Phelps has delivered. Not an Agatha Christie adaptation this time but an original drama, A Very British Scandal (BBC One), about the notorious case of Argyll v Argyll – the only one any erstwhile law student ever remembers (and I speak from experience). This is thanks to the fact that it was a vicious divorce case between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll involving multiple allegations of infidelity, one of which was attested to by a photo of the Duchess fellating a man whose face was not visible in the picture but who was not her husband. The duke had various measurements taken so this could be proved in court. The duchess was identified by her pearl necklace. No, really.

It’s surprising that no one has brought the story to the screen before now. Here it is a companion piece – or perhaps furtherance of what seems set to become an anthology series about historical media frenzies, national prurience and social hypocrisy – to 2018’s A Very English Scandal, about the Jeremy Thorpe affair.

The Argyll case (or the ‘Headless Man affair’ as it was also known, thanks to the photo that quickly became infamous) of course provoked a media storm. A Very British Scandal opens in 1963 with the Duchess (Claire Foy, most recently seen on the small screen as the Queen in The Crown and here bringing the same masterful skills to another aristocratic but wholly different character) facing the screaming abuse of a crowd (“Scum!” “Slut!”) as she enters Edinburgh’s court of session to open divorce proceedings. Inside, the Duke of Argyll (Paul Bettany) offers her one last chance to end things quietly “Because I’m an honourable man. You’ve played a spirited game but we both know you haven’t the stomach for this.” The look on the duchess’s face suggests we should all buckle up to enjoy the coming ride . . .
For the full article see: The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/26/a-very-british-scandal-review-claire-foy-is-masterful-as-the-dirty-duchess-out-for-blood)


https://youtu.be/SDkh-GK1G_g

[StevieWonders]

Having watched the first two episodes it’s obvious that it’s breeding that buggers up the lives of heterosexuals. A broodless “open” marriage would have worked, but poor Margaret didn’t realise that having spent a huge amount of money restoring the family castle she had no stake in its future after the death of her husband - those benefits fell exclusively to the heir and the heir’s mother, her predecessor as wife (there was a brood, just not hers, and that was the problem)

By the end of the second episode it was obvious that “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t go looking” is the key to a successful open relationship

Unfortunately since it’s a story about breeders you have to know the inevitable end. I looked up Wikipedia - Margaret’s husband’s heir and his heir in turn occupied the family castle that Margaret’s money restored