A Very British Scandal (2021) User Reviews (62)

Duke Of Hell

[Lejink · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Lifestyles of the rich and famous, part three. This was the latest BBC dramatisation of notorious court cases of the just-about-in-living-memory recent past involving prominent high-society individuals, after their previous treatments of the Jeremy Thorpe/Norman Scott affair and the Profumo scandal. This latest three-parter concerned the sensationalised divorce proceedings brought by the then Duke of Argyll in 1963 against his wife, the Duchess Margaret for her alleged marital infidelities. All three series are concerned with privilege, class and sex, particularly the latter in this case, as the claimed bedroom indiscretions of the Duchess were ruthlessly, not to say illegally used by her estranged husband to discredit, disgrace and indeed destroy her public persona to grant him his desired divorce.

It's important to point out that the Duchess was in her early 50's when the case came to court so her licentious behaviour couldn't be said to be merely down to the fecklessness of youth. No, this was a mature woman, who we see early in the piece, put down one of her chiding friends by confidently asserting and indeed boasting about her sexual prowess with men. The daughter of a self-made commoner millionaire and divorcee of another self-made millionaire, this time American, who was the debutante of her year when "coming out" in society, by the time she hitched up with the Duke of Argyll in the early 50's she's still a prize acquisition for any hard-up Scottish Duke needing to bankroll the expensive upkeep of his castle and estate, never mind indulge a pipe-dream to excavate a sunken ship in the local bay said to contain a fortune in buried treasure.

Margaret was obviously attracted by the prestige of becoming a Duchess and being the lady of the manor, but things palled quickly as she learned just why her new husband's two previous wives had divorced him. A controlling, often drunken, sometimes violent, frequently unfaithful man, her fairytale marriage begins to collapse and when her rich daddy himself remarried a younger woman and decided to turn off the flow of funds he'd been pouring into his son-in-law's bottomless pockets, it's she that the Duke blamed when his bills piled up. So she took refuge in the London party scene, picking up often younger men, sometimes for sex, but sometimes only for conversation and sympathy, especially given that a lot of them were gay.

Finally the marriage fell apart with the scorned Duke stopping at nothing to get the dirty on the "Dirty Duchess" as those scandalised protectors of decent behaviour, the British press, later termed her, to the extent of breaking into her London flat to steal her personal diary and other incriminating titbits, most infamously a snap-shot selfie, if you will, of her and one of her lovers indulging in an act of fellatio. It all ends up in a sensational divorce court trial where Margaret is excoriated for her lifestyle while her smug husband looks on.

Much has been said in today's press about the treatment meted out to Margaret by her brutish husband, although she wasn't above perpetrating a few dirty tricks of her own, like forging an incriminating letter by one of her husband's ex-wives and even accusing him of an affair with her new step-mother. Nevertheless, it's clear that she was more sinned-against than sinner but in the early 60's when class consciousness was very much in the air in what was still very much a male-dominated world, there was no way she could ever win.

As for this particular dramatisation, as usual the BBC nailed the setting of time and place, in terms of fashion, interiors, cars etc, although there were some odd choices of background songs which didn't seem to fit. Paul Bettany was excellent as the dastardly duke but I felt that Claire Foy was miscast as the Duchess, besides not sufficiently resembling her real-life counterpart, she seemed too young and not tall enough in the part. Elsewhere, while I think the narrative was comprehensive enough in incorporating most of the main facts, some scenes did have a manufactured look about them and others similarly appeared over-cooked.

Long dead now, at least this revisionist take on the Duchess's often tempestuous life might go some way towards posthumously restoring her reputation, hopefully at the expense of her monstrous, manipulative husband, even as I appreciate she was no angel herself.

Frankly though, if this is how the other half lives, they can keep it.

Not as scandalous as it should have been

[ozjosh03 · 6/10 · 15 January 2022]

This is an interesting, if not quite worthy successor to the infinitely superior A Very English Scandal. The problem here is that the writers clearly decided to make Margaret, the Duchess, the more sympathetic character - one supposes so the audience would have someone to root for, but also clearly in order to create a narrative around the way women were demonised for their sexuality in more repressive times. While this is certainly a valid perspective, it has the effect of short-changing us on the scandal front. In truth, the Duchess was a nasty piece of work, and every bit as bad, if not worse, than the loathsome Duke. But this TV version of events only touches lightly on some of the more appalling things she did, like trying to have her step-sons disinherited, and faking a pregnancy (while attempting to buy a baby) to establish a rival claim to the estate and title. The real Margaret was thoroughly spoilt, vacuous and self-absorbed, and Claire Foy's generous portrayal of her really doesn't do justice to the woman's monstrosity. And if the object here is to dissect a celebrated scandal, why not go all the way? The series is worth watching for the performances, and as a potted history to the Argyll affair, but if you want the full story you'll need to do some further reading.

Looked good but was old hat and style over substance

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 6/10 · 2 January 2022]

Wanted to like this as I've enjoyed the writer's Agatha Christie adaptations in recent years and I'm a big fan of both Claire Foy and Paul Bettany. The acting and cast were very good but for me the story would have worked better if an older actress had played the Duchess (She was in her 50's at time of the trial.)

It was stylish all round, well written and fashionably directed and photographed, soundtrack was a bit patchy with some anachronistic tunes.

My main problem was that both characters were entitled dislikeable aristocrats, he was obviously a rotter, but she wasn't much better. In the end I wasn't that bothered what happened to either of them, so for me a slightly disappointed 6/10.

Perhaps its time to put the British Aristocracy back in the cupboard and tell some new and untold original stories about ordinary Britain's past and present. Brideshead still gets revisited a little too often.

Public and private

[paul2001sw-1 · 7/10 · 2 January 2022]

Margaret, sometime Duchess of Argyll, was a rich, beautiful, and utterly entitled woman; her marriage to the Duke, a spendthrift drunk, was a disaster. We know about it because their divorce became a matter of media scandal and was even brought into the enquiry that followed the Profumo affair. The way our society shamed (and continues to shame) women for their sexuality is appalling; nonetheless, it is hard to avoid concluding that someone who beleives in their absolute right to do as they please is ultimately going to face consequences (even if, in a decent world, these would have been entirely private). As Duke and Duchess, Paul Bettany and Clare Foy are both really good in this reconstuction of events; although the theme of the story is essentially that it's a matter of public interest that something of no legitimate public interest was treated as if this was not the case. Amazingly, wholly no-fault divorce is only going to become a reality in British law in 2022.

Pointless

[IanIndependent · 6/10 · 4 January 2022]

The case of the headless man is certainly an interesting scandal especially for the news media and very much so at the time it happened. However, to make it into a three part series it needed more than this offered.

All three episodes where very well made with fine performances, costumes and and locations. Unfortunately, neither of the main characters were likeable so you could not get behind or feel sorry for either. Both the Duchess and the Duke were spoilt and moneyed liars and could have easily been made into comic caricatures.

All this meant that over three hours the narrative had to get behind this. It had to be revealing. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I already knew a little of the case and therefore would have liked to have some modern and new intimations about the main questions arising from the trial such as who might the headless man have been, were there other such photos or was this the only man she got before the camera and if so why him? Also, what did 'V' actually stand for.

With regards The Duke we never found out whether he did have an affair with his mother-in-law or anyone else.

Unlike the previous 'A Very British Scandal' about the Jeremy Thorpe / Norman Scott trial which did answer the majority of the questions this didn't and wasn't enough of a story to keep the interest for 3 hours.

Interesting and Tedious

[kpassa · 6/10 · 29 December 2021]

Nicely done, well acted but it could have been done as a 90 minute tv movie instead of being drawn out over 3 episodes. The filler made it boring so I ended up wishing for it to conclude.

Toxic Toff Marriage

[wentworthstreet · 8/10 · 27 December 2021]

Foy and Bettany kick acting arse in their depictions of two dislikeable people in a marriage from hell. Excellent supporting performances from the rest of the cast make this drama a 'must watch'. Acting awards for the 'Duke and Duchess' to follow please!

Lightweight and really who cares

[pilot1009 · 6/10 · 23 April 2022]

Well acted and filmed but direction was not so good and there was not much linkage between some parts of the story. Ultimately its a one watch job with a pretty obvious outcome. Characters were all unappealing and some came over as non too bright. Best I can say it well illustrates what was wrong with post WW2 British society and explains why the monarchy and associated nobility is on the steep decline that it is.

A Revealing Divorce-Drama - Episodes 1-3 Review

[JoshuaMercott · 8/10 · 3 January 2022]

Suspense, scheming, and of course scandal pervaded the plot of "A Very British Scandal" on BBC iPlayer. Excellent and well-timed directing by Anne Sewitsky and superbly witty writing by Sarah Phelps saw this 3-episode mini-series through to a fascinating finish.

To call Claire Foy's performance as Margaret Campbell remarkable would be to do it some injustice. She shone as the character in stunning ways. The Duke of Argyll Ian Campbell (played by Paul Bettany) was outstanding in his own right. Between them, they relived a very real scandal and dramatized it in some of the most meaningful ways.

All other cast members did great work as well. Special nods to Jeanne Campbell (played by Albertine Kotting McMillan), Yvonne MacPherson (played by Amanda Drew), Maureen Guinness (played by Julia Davis), George and Helen Whigham (played by Richard McCabe and Phoebe Nicholls, respectively), Diana Napier (played by Camilla Rutherford), and Louise 'Oui Oui' Campbell (played by Sophia Myles).

Stand-out cinematography by Si Bell added to the excitement and aesthete contained in "A Very British Scandal". Dominic Strevens did a noteworthy job on editing. Philippa Hart's set decoration was top-notch. Rosalind Grégoire and Iain White did great work on art direction. Ian Fulcher's costume design prowess was the cherry on the cake. Great hair-makeup and special effects work further carried the stellar plot. Music, soundtracks, and sound effects were superb as well.

"A Very British Scandal" took me back to England in the 60s. The sheer attention to detail was vintage-wonderful. It dramatized a very real divorce that took place between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and it - not to put too fine a point on it - became quite the scandal.

Given that it was the 60s, divorce did not come with the 'support and understanding' framework it enjoys today. As is often the case, the wife was blamed in some of the most - looking back from the present, anyway - atrocious ways. From the public's perspective, the divorce happened too soon before the previous ones - for both parties - had even cooled.

In a way, it did seem suspect, because Margaret was known for her lavish lifestyle and partaking of raunchy upper-class entertainment - and yes, it included more than a few hook-ups with more than a few men.

Claire Foy gave an expert performance as the duchess-in-the-midst-of-divorce. The mini-series started with a ruckus and ended on a high note. The show might seem ridiculous to those who are out of touch with the way life and lifestyles were conducted in 60s Britain. The Campbells were more than just aristocrats, their later positions as Duke and Duchess linked them to the Crown. Then again, it being the 60s, it was an era of debauchery and indulgence. Sadly, it did not quite excuse a scandal of aristocratic proportions.

"A Very British Scandal" captured the essence of the sheer fuss and blame-gaming that unravelled - at least to some extent - in England as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll battled for divorce on the field of a courtroom.

There were multiple layers to this 'legal breakup'. The Duke, you see, had left his second wife for Margaret. She, on the other hand, had amicably divorced her first husband. The public, as they are known to do, admired Margaret when she was at the peak of her celebrity - a beauty, debutante, and heiress - but then taunted, insulted, and ridiculed her during her second divorce.

I noticed the elephant in the courtroom, so to speak, namely how the Duke - this being his 'third time's the disaster' moment - did not gain as much hurtful commentary and negative suspicion as Margaret did. But to be fair, Margaret's past did come back to haunt her.

It was clear from the get-go that she eyed material possessions, including land, more than family values. She was a self-empowered woman who enjoyed sex, which was not a bad thing at all. But in the 60s it was enough fuel to light several fires. The fact that Margaret was carrying on with Ian while the latter was still married (with kids) added another fire to the mix. It was bad enough her kids were with her ex, while Ian's came to live with their dad in Inveraray Castle.

By the time the final episode rolled along, I was privy to genuinely scandalous moments in the lives of the soon-to-be-divorced Campbells. Margaret was unrelenting in her attempts to claim her share of the settlement, which happened to include Inveraray Castle. Her money helped restore the place, after all.

Then there was the matter of the property going to Ian's son after his passing - the boy was most certainly not fond of the new woman in his father's life. This led a desperate Margaret to perform an act of forgery that led to Ian doubting the paternity of his own sons.

After her accident - she fell forty feet down a lift shaft - Margaret would've faced a dangerous childbirth, so giving Ian heirs of her own became out of the question. To all the right people, Margaret started to spread the 'fake news' that Ian's sons were illegitimate - this was based on her own forged letter using Louise's handwriting.

Even after learning of his mounting debts, she held on to the marriage. It soon became apparent to Margaret that he'd only married her for her father's wealth. The emotional tension between them built up until it burst, and not in a good way. Meanwhile, Margaret's father married a young girl following the death of his longtime wife.

Her father's remarriage veritably cut Margaret away from his financial support. Ian soon decided the marriage was over - his first wife warned Margaret that when the money ran out so too would Ian. Added to all this was Ian's personal health and his ill-advised intake of amphetamines, which made him capricious and volatile. Margaret continued to take care of him through thick and thin, though.

But good times never last, do they? Ian discovered everything Margaret had kept hidden from him. That's when the proverbial brown-stuff hit the fan. He turned more vindictive than usual, and there was no going back.

From subjecting her to court injunctions to having her banned from the very Inveraray she paid to have restored, there was no end to Margaret's humiliations, 'courtesy' Ian. His hypocritical self-righteousness never ceased to confound me - more so after he literally stole the evidence he needed to try her in court.

Funny how he was divorcing her on charges of adultery when he himself had indulged his unfair share of women. The 'deed of gift' Margaret had to fall back on was also rendered meaningless thanks to Ian's debt-addled subterfuge.

As you can imagine from my 'scathing' review of the Duke's behaviour, "A Very British Scandal" was quite provocative.

Margaret fiercely counter-sued, despite facing growing pressure from all sides, including her father falling bedridden and her social circle demanding she 'act her class'.

In classic English fashion, the entire affair was conducted with a strange sort of elegance and flair for detail that lent the three episodes in BBC iPlayer's "A Very British Scandal" an air of immoral immediacy, 'dirty linen in public' flourish, and unrestrainable rumour-mongery. The Press, suffice to say, were at their vulturous best.

"A Very British Scandal" mini-series went on to show just how easy it was to lose one's dignity, celebrity, and respect accumulated over half a lifetime, and how greed and covetousness can be double-edged blades. The show captured plenty of nuance and emotional depth in addition to the thin veneer of upper-class agendas and polyamoury.

The way the legal system and the public gloriously vilified, immoralized, and criminalized a woman for doing something that her own husband had also done, all because she lacked the evidence to prove as much in court, made for sincerely heartbreaking and yet wholly educational viewing.

I say the latter because things have not changed quite so much today in regards to a woman's right to her own body and her entirely natural human needs. There were also plenty of humane and emotional layers to the character of Margaret Campbell that were legally and publicly overlooked.

A slightly underwhelming drama that doesn't come alive until the final episode

[trevorwomble · 7/10 · 3 January 2022]

I really enjoyed the Hugh Grant /Ben Wishaw 'A very English scandal' from a few years back and expected this to be more of the same.

Despite solid performances from Paul Bettany and Claire Foy though I found this mini series to be lacking in the the same dark humour and likeability. Whereas Hugh Grant and Ben Wishaw worked well off each other and the script crackled with wit and absurdity, here I found it to be a bit dull. Neither character is particularly likeable. I just felt that the horrible nature of both the lead characters meant they deserved each other. There were no redeeming features to either. Both were awful snobs, one with an addiction to alcohol and one addicted to men. Their attitude to the people around them made them as bad as each other. In fact I didnt really care much for either of them and I was grateful to get to the last episode where it finally started to liven up a little. The behaviour of both characters was contemptible but at least there was finally some emotion starting to happen in the script as the viewer was being asked to take sides as the details unravelled in the court room.

Both Bettany and Foy are fine actors but the slow pace of the first two thirds of this made it more of a melodrama. I found it difficult to warm to either of them. Maybe that was the point though, maybe they both ultimately lost.

I'm glad I watched it and it brings to life an incident I had heard of but I found the lack of empathy difficult to swallow. On the whole this story lacked the black humour and energy of the mini series I was expecting it to compare with.

Masterfully Done

[letsbefreinds · 8/10 · 28 December 2021]

Clare Foy is a joy to watch. It's very hard to take one's eyes of the screen when she is present. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama I just wished it had more of their back story. Why was the Dutchess the way she was etc.

... these two pretty much always doing very good work

[bjarias · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

... Foy & Bettany were-are their usual outstanding selves ... the production was very good, the only criticism might be the length ... 1st & 3rd parts were reasonably paced ... the middle dragged a bit as if to fill time ... overall a worthwhile effort even if a bit too lengthy.

Dreary

[alistairio · 5/10 · 29 December 2021]

I hate when a drama gets PR to encourage people to watch it when the sad fact is that it is a dreary, miserable, empty story that has no merit and is thoroughly depressing. What an utter waste of human effort depicting these two wretched individuals with no apparent redeeming features.

Absolutely nobody emerges well from this shambles least of all the BBC or the director who mangled this.

After seeing all three episodes...

[suzpomz · 2 January 2022]

I'd like to know two things:

1) why didn't her father (or she) sue the Duke for all the money?

2) how many affairs did the Judge have before and after the trial?

Hard to remain interested in two such thoroughly repellent people

[210west · 6/10 · 6 November 2022]

In contrast to "A Very English Scandal" -- which was delightful, clever, fast-moving, and often very funny, and in which Hugh Grant and Ben Wishaw played colorful, essentially likable characters -- the warring aristocrats in this follow-up series are monsters of selfishness: scheming, lying, overprivileged snobs whom it's virtually impossible to care about.

The "English" miniseries seemed to end too soon; three episodes just weren't enough. Although it's the same length, this "British" sequel feels at least one episode too long. Though Claire Foy flashes an occasional insincere grin, she mainly holds the same sour expression throughout the series. I've enjoyed her in everything from "Little Dorrit" to "First Man" to "The Crown," but here, though it's not her fault, she soon bored me.

Henry Kissinger supposedly said, of the Iran-Iraq war, "It's a pity they both can't lose." I suspect that most viewers will feel the same about the legal war between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.

Why should we care?

[sebastianjodocy · 6/10 · 3 January 2022]

"A very British scandal" is well made, has nice cinematography, good writing, with Claire Foy and Paul Bettany a marvelous cast who play (as usual) brilliantly. But the story itself is quit daft. We watch two rich, narcistic horrible people do horrible stuff to each other. And they do it without remorse and dont care about the people around them (Like him dragging his dauther into breaking in and stealing a privat journal. Or her ruining her stepmothers name and giving her father grieve). And they do it all, just to stay rich and have a noble name.

And in the end not much has changed. Both are still rich, still horible people and only care for themself.

The only reason to watch this story is a lust for sensation and drama and in the end we are left with a story that is just like its characters: Hollow with a nice wrapping.

Historically inaccurate

[BurnhamTV · 7/10 · 28 December 2021]

Towards the end of episode two, Ian is seen rifling through his wife's desk, finding a key that unlocks a drawer containing the incriminating evidence that will lead to the divorce.

In fact, suspecting her infidelity and while Margaret was on a trip to New York, Ian engaged the services of a locksmith to access a cupboard containing all the evidence he needed to divorce Margaret.

This drama does however paint a picture of two despicable people, Margaret & Ian. I'm looking forward to episode 3 where their toxic marriage comes under legal scrutiny.

A very British mini-series

[rich-mac · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

This is exactly the kind of TV that the Brits do well.

Exposing the foibles, nastiness, and moral and social vacancy of their upper class - it's a national past-time.

'A Very British Scandal' is a superb exposé of everything that's wrong with a system that promotes it's own interests at the expense of anything at all which challenges its incumbent privilege and selfishness (and is not the least bit sentimental about who or what it destroys in the process). The irony of course is that the system persists largely unchecked.

Excellent television!

Are we watching the same show?

[staciarose20 · 7/10 · 27 December 2021]

How is it all his fault? She had her reputation years before they met, destroyed his ex with humiliation, and in the end she got the shame that was long overdue. She knew who he was before they married. Also, she's a terrible mother. Might not be the case irl, but the rich so often were in those days.

A brilliant Blow by blow account

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 10/10 · 27 December 2021]

I am not sure that some of these reviewers have seen all 3 episodes before writing here (only one has bee on BBC 1 at the time of writing; the others are on the iPlayer).

This was a brilliant 3 hours of top quality TV from beginning to end.

Yes, it has been taken predominantly from the defender's point of viewer (the writer and director are both female) but the show clearly depicts the idiosyncrasies of both sides.

Margaret is a strong character with her husband's balls in her handbag but he does use his balls to try to attain the outcome he wants.

True to life stories are hard to do but this was most credible.

The best thing on TV this Christmas.

A dull reenactment

[verregerobert · 7/10 · 23 April 2022]

The producers had a choice for this production but dropped the ball ending with a dull less glamorous depiction of this colourful real~life Duchess. While Foy provided excellent acting the wardrobe department was less impressive with a lacklustre display of a rich woman's wardrobe of wealth during the sixties .

Portrait of British Upper Class

[dcabralfrade · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

This is another great BBC period drama based in real events. Claire Foy and Paul Bettany portray a very realistic upper class couple where he has a title, she has the money and both have incredibly selfish, arrogant personalities. He is, by far, much worse than she is but even as a woman, I feel no sympathy for her. All I could think of whilst watching the mini-series was how these people are still the ones who make the decisions about how we live our lives in this country (he was in the House of Lords). They have no idea of what goes on outside the door of their wealthy properties... but, as entertainment, I really liked it!

Prefer the previous installment

[PeachesIR · 7/10 · 3 May 2022]

"A Very British Scandal" features good performances from its two well-matched leads, Claire Foy and Paul Bettany, as Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, and Ian, Duke of Argyll. The couple had a volatile union in the '50s and '60s, plagued by heavy drinking, drugs (on his part), violence, debts, lies, forgery and copious incidents of infidelity. This three-part series delves into their tragic marriage and highly publicized divorce trial, including the devastating impact on them and their families (they had five children between them). This high-budget production delivers an accurate portrayal of their glamorous lifestyle of Scottish castles, London townhouses and private clubs, elegant restaurants and bars, private parties and speedboat jaunts, but also how bleak, painful and dismal a bad marriage truly is -- and how destructive to everyone involved. The miniseries also shows how Margaret was absolutely vilified by the chauvinistic society of the time for having affairs both before and after her marriage, while her aristocratic husband was mostly given a pass.

"A Very British Scandal" follows "A Very English Scandal," about MP Jeremy Thorpe's trial for attempted murder, and I thought the previous series was superior, but this one is interesting for delving into the social mores of the time period and how much things have changed. Foy and Bettany are both terrific in their not particularly sympathetic parts, but it's an interesting slice of 20th century history.

Stylish telling of a dull story

[Piccono · 5/10 · 28 December 2021]

A lot of money has been spent on this - with great locations, lavish sets and fine acting. But ultimately it's pretty boring. Unpleasant posh lady marries unpleasant posh man and they spend three episodes being unpleasant to each other. Neither character has any redeeming qualities, there is little insight into those characters, and when it comes to the big court scene at the end it's really neither here nor there who wins.

A visual feast. A snooze of a story that didn't really merit a three part series.

A linguistic inaccuracy ...

[imtieken · 29 December 2021]

... in the script occurs when in the third episode,at 40 minutes or so, the Duke of Argyle says to the Duchess: "This battle between you and I ...". It is most unlikely for a man of his background at this time in history to say this. Even today it would be unlikely. I wonder what made the script writers put it in.