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

Terrible hit man though. Only one bullet?

With all this speculation if JT was behind this murder plot etc its no wonder people really believe that Diana was killed and all those conspiracy theories about that.

They were pretty blasé about the whole thing.

His gun jammed after shooting Rinka, he had more than one bullet. Still a bad hit man though!

It’s neil from the inbetweeners so no wonder his not that good!

Neil!!! Of course it was. I never remember names so hadn't realised.

If anyone is interested - after the last episode on Sunday night there is a documentary talking to Norman Scott and delving into whether Andrew Newton (the shooter) is still alive despite it being (presumed?) he had died. It's on BBC4 at 10pm-11pm. It is called the Jeremy Thorpe Scandal.

That looks fascinating kikashi. The (would be) assassin is still alive. Good article in today's Guardian. All the jury believed there was a conspiracy to harm Scott.

And police are re-opening the enquiry into the attempted murder of Norman Scott.

That was superb. Had the changing social attitudes, Establishment steamrollering of anything deemed uncomfortable or threatening to the status quo and some amazing acting.

I loved it.
Not the kind of thing I would usually watch but it was gripping.

Brilliant watch tonight again.
I've switched over to the Panorama documentary now as well. 40 years the reporter has waited to show his work from the time!

This came up on Twitter … the dog lovers party!

flashbak.com/in-1979-auberon-waugh-fought-dog-killers-and-jeremy-thorpe-in-north-devon-elections-1979-31620/

The documentary was fascinating. What a survivor Norman Scott is.

Yes, the Panorama documentary really was good, wasn't it!

Did anyone pick up when JT's Mum whispered to him about 'I have your ring you know' or something to that effect. I felt it was her way of saying she knew the truth but couldn't quite put the links together.
I thought about Cyril Smith and child abuse too. Very chilling how easily and without any conscience or humanity that the establishment can cover things up.
Fantastic series.

Absolutely riveting, but I wasn't sure about the significance of what Thorpe's mum said to him on the balcony??
One of those stories where the truth is stranger than fiction.

She said "You're ruined, you know" and his smile froze.

Oh, right. Thanks, Clawdy

All this for a National Insurance card that the employer had no right to withold in the first place. The crashing snobbery about other MP's/civil servants "Well, he's a grammar school boy. They like a fight."

I'm too young to remember all the coverage of the trial, but have been talking about it with my folks. They both thought Thorpe was a creepy bastard, even back before he came to trial.

I am left wondering how much has really changed at the higher levels of government - not all that much I suspect. They are just better at covering up now.

My memories of the time (admittedly I was only 16 so may be a bit hazy) are that everyone was astonished when Thorpe got off. The evidence was overwhelmingly against him.

I liked the part where Thorpe says something along the lines of 'we've got some good men in the Lib. party and mentions Clement Freud and Cyril Smith' - pretty sure the writiers threw that little dig in themselves

It's amazing to look back and see the snobbery and the homophobia - such that those high up thought a man like Norman Scott, because of his background and his sexuality was of no value and could be treated however they wanted. Quite horrifying in a country that prides itself on it's legal system and it's sense of justice.

It was nice to see Norman Scott in the documentary, and he came across as a decent man - not bitter at all. which given what happened to him is remarkable. I'm pleased he's happy now with his beloved horses and dogs.

Norman knew he wouldn't get anywhere when he said ' these people went to Eton and Harrow and Oxford, i went to school in Bexleyheath,'
sums it all up really.
Thorpe was ruined by it though, so i guess that was a kind of justice.

When Carman asked "Why Norman?" I thought the scenes of JT hooking up with strangers and being abused was very telling.

I thought it was very well done. Hugh Grant was very believable and , in fact, I thought him a good actor for the fist time ever as usually he seems to be playing himself. I was about 12 i think when this kicked off ans still remember how we laughed like drains every time 'biting the pillow' was mentioned (and it was mentioned a lot by the tabloid press).
Wish there were more great real life dramas like this.

Michelle Dotrice - his landlady in the pub - was Frank spencer's wife back in the day! (old comedy programme) it was good to see her again.

very well acted all round, especially the barrister who got him off.

brilliant programme and also very atmospheric i thought as well.
I do remember it being in the tabloids ( vaguely) my sil is from Devon and she said the liberals always did well in that neck of woods in the 70s. they were a party to be reckoned with back then.
how many other things have the ' establishment' covered up over the years? makes you wonder.

As a total aside (and a tenuous link to someone famous My Dad was in the same POW camp as Roy Dotrice - Michelle's Dad (he was also a very good actor and a very nice chap according to my Dad)

For some reason Thorpe's expression at the 1979 election count has been burned into my memory - it was the first time I'd stayed up to watch election results and it was one of the most memorable moments so I'm glad they didn't miss it out.

Astonishing that a judge could be so biased in his summing-up. Talk about the old boys network sticking together. It does make me wonder what people will be looking back on in 40 years from now and wondering how on earth the establishment got away with it.

Some great acting. I agree that Hugh Laurie was excellent. But also the actor who played Norman Scott who I thought showed us Scott's development from naive insecure and somewhat unbalanced young man through the various stages of his maturity to a place where he was able to argue his case with dignity and conviction, even if the establishment weren't able to hear it. I found his performance very moving and it cut through the farcical elements which would be unbelievable if they weren't true.

Clionba, I wasn't sure about the scenes were JT was abused by male prostitutes. Was the idea to remind us that, although we'd lost any sympathy for JT by that point, he was also a victim in his own way? I thought it was a bit clunky.