A very English scandal

[Cistersaredoingitforthemselves]

Looking forward to seeing this

I have read the book and it was excellent.

I remember this happening and it being one of the earliest political scandals I was aware of ( and actually understood) - Watergate was my first but I was only small and didn't understand

Peter Bessell - the owner of a face like a badly tessellated pavement

Probably the best caption of a photo ever

Meant to be, I'd say.

I certainly don't think they were portraying Thorpe sympathetically - he was out to get exactly what he wanted every time from manipulating a vulnerable young man to marrying as it would help his political career.

Hugh Grant was fantastic in this, and as someone said upthread he seemed to have no vanity about looking unattractive despite his previous heart-throb status. I don't think it's a sympathetic portrait either but they need to get across how appealing Thorpe was to people, the reason for his political success and popularity.

Great to see David Bamber burning up the screen as well.

I watched the first episode today. I don't remember the actual scandal that well, but I've never forgotten the look on Thorpe's face when his constituency result (i.e. the loss of his 'safe' seat) was announced in the 1979 election - for some reason that's stayed with me all these years.

Some brilliant acting. I didn't think Scott was being played for laughs but perhaps for pathos - he comes across as a lost soul, and very vulnerable. But I also think that we're seeing Thorpe's vulnerability, beneath the arrogance and self-centred-ness, and the charm that he could doubtless turn on. I hope we're going to see some more of Marion in the next episode - I've always wondered about her.

I keep seeing a Paddington stare.

So much 70s nostalgia!
Phone boxes!

Is it supposed to be hilarious?

Dearie me what a farce. Hard to believe it's all real.

I can't reconcile Norman Scott with this actor. He's good but physically nothing like him.
Hugh Grant on the other hand is fantastic.

Who knew Hugh could act so well?

All those Richard Curtis films when he was doing it by numbers!
This has made me feel like a trip to Devon!

Hugh Grant is a good Jeremy Thorpe, very self absorbed and amoral. Ben Wishaw is good, but the real Norman Scott looked a bit like Monty Don!

Russell T. does it again! Thoroughly enjoyed this, it was very comedic at times, despite the sometimes dark and devious content. Excellent...loved Hugh Grant, Ben Wisham(as always) and Blake Morrison as the hit man. I do remember the trial well as I was around 10, but didn't understand what it was all about. Amazed that most of what was portrayed was true to life, according to the Radio Times article about it. Can't wait for the next episode.

Wishaw that should be, obviously!

I totally feel as though hugh grant has dated his career fannying about in morning suits. He’s fabulous as a baddie!!

Interesting that while HG who led the Hacked Off campaign against press intrusion, the RL son of JT, Rupert, is a photographer who was taken to court after he gatecrashed Catherine Zeta-jones wedding and sold unauthorised pics to Hello.

I wondered who brought up Rupert after the death of his mother? Was JT a single father in parliament?

Can anyone explain why Norman couldn’t just get a replacement NI card?

I don’t get the NI number problem either.

I said the same to ds yesterday about the NI card - I think perhaps it's a sign of his fragility and unworldliness that he didn't know how to deal with authorities in that way. Then again he was able to go to the Police and the House of Commons to give statements - both very daunting so it's a bit odd.

Also don't understand why no one else helped him - why didn't Thorpe during their relationship or Gwen Parry Jones? I do get the sense that there's chunks of info missing and, of course, a fair amount of 'artistic licence' in the writing.

I think there is some issue with Scott changing his name and also claiming benefits. I think the whole scandal came out because of alleged benefit fraud or similar. He wanted Thorpe to help him and felt abandoned and used (I think).

Ah yes thanks Clionba, I'd forgotten about his name change even tho' they've pointed it out several times! That would have made things more difficult

Also Ruffian I get the impression that he did a lot of casual work, and there may have been issues with tax. He received £5 a week in compensation for benefits he couldn't claim, thereafter it starts to get murky. A fascinating case and no one comes out of it well.

In the first episode when NS was living in a flat paid for by JT. JT did allude to how often he had helped NS get jobs but NS claimed they always went wrong or bosses were horrible to him. I think The NI card was something NS just became obsessed about 9maybe due to his MH issues). You could get a replacement one - they were made of a weird soft cardboard and would just disintegrate if they got wet.

Incredible that NS was Terry Thomas' BIL. I would love to know if the FIL did give that outrageous father of the bride speech.

kikashi that Father of the Bride speech was hilarious! It's all so bizarre. Also, didn't Norman leave his original NI card at that flat he shared with the older man that threatened to blackmail JT with the "Bunny" letters?

Actually the father of the bride had his measure as he did leave her penniless with a child and was gay and shouldn’t have married her in the first place.

I recently googled the key players and Norman Scott is the only one still alive. From seeing a recent pic of him the resemblance to the actor is remarkable.

And HG is superb,I think.

Clinoba you are right. NS did say he had to leave his NI card at the first stables job when he did a runner

I thought the second episode was played too much as a farce.

If you want to see farce, I really hope that they reconstruct the sight we saw in Glos when he was campaigning - the picture of him hanging upside down out of a helicopter holding a Vote for Me banner in his outstretched arms, will never leave me