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A Very British Scandal - BBC1

223 replies

southeastdweller · 26/12/2021 19:18

On tonight at 9.00, it stars Claire Foy and it's from the same people who did A Very English Scandal a few years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0b568sr

OP posts:
KingofQueens · 27/12/2021 01:04

I enjoyed it.

Canapés and cock!

PrinzessinCressida · 27/12/2021 01:09

But what has happened to Julia Davis' face? Is it just botox/fillers gone a bit bonkers, or has anything else happened there?

Rookie93 · 27/12/2021 03:06

Agree that the photography on the speed boat scene was rather wonderful and the location was stunning. If there are awards for scenery that alone should win something. But found this episode stangely not interesting and the characters all seemed so stuffy and boring despite desperately trying not to be. It looked great but do I want to spend Sunday night with them?

Anystarinthesky · 27/12/2021 03:11

I thought it was really good, I enjoyed watching it.

Piggyinblankets · 27/12/2021 08:14

Here is The Guardian glowing review which I think helps filling in a few blanks as to why she was already so famous. DON'T READ if you don't know/want to know the key fact of the court case.

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

The review spells Inveraray wrongly which s annoying . It also says Ian's father dies. That wasn't his father was it? Wasn't that the whole point that he just sort of fell into being Duke of Argyll and was pretty ungrateful about this happenstance?

AndAllOurYesterdays · 27/12/2021 08:19

It was a distant cousin or something that died so he ended up as the Duke.

I enjoyed it too. But those poor children, from both sides.

BellaChagall · 27/12/2021 08:20

Piggyinblankets interesting review, thanks for sharing. Very poor journalism to make the spelling error and get basic facts of the succession wrong.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 27/12/2021 08:47

Yes, the previous Duke died unmarried and childless.

Not a spoiler for this series, but a little bit of trivia I came across on Wikipedia when looking to see if the elder son we saw in ep 1 is the current Duke - no, he isn't, he died about 20 years ago at the age of 63. Had open heart surgery and died from complications. His son is the current Duke. Anyway, back in the mid 70s there was a fire at the castle and the elder son was Duke by then, so had to find the money for repairs. He sent out an urgent appeal to all the members of Clan Campbell worldwide for donations. Many responded. Shortly afterwards the British press reported that the Duke of Argyll was one of the wealthiest people in the country. Many Campbells worldwide wrote in asking for their money back. Grin The greed, entitlement and arrogance of the aristocracy knows no bounds.

Enjoyed this so far. As I see the whole thing is available on i player, we'll probably watch ep 2 tonight rather than wait for next Sunday.

Piggyinblankets · 27/12/2021 09:09

I always think the aristocracy have an interesting definition of 'poverty'...!

PuppyMonkey · 27/12/2021 09:13

I think the next ep is on the telly tonight isn’t it? It’s being shown all week as the big Christmas drama.

LadyEloise1 · 27/12/2021 09:36

If you want to learn more about Maureen Guinness played by Julia Davis there is a current novel The Glorious Guinness Girls by Emily Hourican out now. It appears to be fiction based on fact on the lives of Maureen, Oonagh and Aileen Guinness.
It's on my "To Read" list.

Now there's an idea for a series - The Guinness Girls.

TrashyPanda · 27/12/2021 09:44

@LadyEloise1

If you want to learn more about Maureen Guinness played by Julia Davis there is a current novel The Glorious Guinness Girls by Emily Hourican out now. It appears to be fiction based on fact on the lives of Maureen, Oonagh and Aileen Guinness. It's on my "To Read" list.

Now there's an idea for a series - The Guinness Girls.

Oooh, thanks!

I read Margaret Argylls autobiography years ago.

TooWicked · 27/12/2021 09:50

DH I binge watched all 3 episodes last night on iPlayer, I thought it was excellent. I do like Claire Foy.

And then I looked the whole story up on the Internet and ended up staying up till 2am reading about it all, up to the present day.

IcedPurple · 27/12/2021 09:52

@StormyCornishSeas

Really enjoyed it. Claire Foy is fab

Where is it filmed. Been to InverarayCastle but don't quite remember looking like that

I think only the facade of the castle was 'real'. There was some obvious CGI for the exterior shots, and the interior was a set. It's been all fancied up since then, no doubt at the Duchess' expense!
CHEM20 · 27/12/2021 10:24

@PuppyMonkey

I think the next ep is on the telly tonight isn’t it? It’s being shown all week as the big Christmas drama.
You can watch all 3 episodes now on BBC iPlayer.
PuppyMonkey · 27/12/2021 13:31

I know @CHEM20 - my post was aimed at PP who seemed to think it wasn’t on actual telly again until next Sunday.

rc22 · 27/12/2021 14:03

I gave it a try but didn't really enjoy it. Had none of the humour I enjoyed in the last one.

Obsidiansphere · 27/12/2021 14:34

@TooWicked

DH I binge watched all 3 episodes last night on iPlayer, I thought it was excellent. I do like Claire Foy.

And then I looked the whole story up on the Internet and ended up staying up till 2am reading about it all, up to the present day.

Same! Binge watched then researched 🤣
RampantIvy · 27/12/2021 14:41

I have just watched the first episode and loved it.

Palavah · 27/12/2021 14:49

@rc22

I gave it a try but didn't really enjoy it. Had none of the humour I enjoyed in the last one.
Exactly. Hugh Grant's Jeremy Thorpe, though a bad egg, had charm in spades and it was plenty funny.

This lacks charm/charisma and humour

longwayoff · 27/12/2021 16:42

I'm with rc22 and palavah. Hugh Grant's Thorpe was spot on and very amusing, I was hoping for a similar level of skilI with script and casting but gave up on this halfway through Ep1 as I was bored. Will try it again but, meh.

ExquisitelyDecorated · 27/12/2021 16:46

I didn't see the last one so don't have that comparison but given the storyline I wasn't expecting humour so I enjoyed it.

casinoroyale4ever · 27/12/2021 16:51

I'm looking forward to watching it but on the face of it, it's a pretty sad story.

Palavah · 27/12/2021 16:54

Sarah Phelps seems to have a trademark of darkness, pregnant pauses and script that takes itself a bit seriously. I could just about handle that in her Christie adaptations (Witness for the Prosecution was great, ABC murders good, didn't like the changed ending of Ordeal). However, for something like this there is SO much scope for wit, levity, change of dramatic pace, all of which opportunity seems to have been missed.

I'm going to watch ep 2 in the hope it improves because Claire Foy is great and the material (the facts of the story) should make fantastic drama, plus it looks gorgeous.
I've gone right off Paul Bettany (love him in A Knight's Tale) after reading the article his whatsapps to Johnny Depp re Amber Heard.

Piggywaspushed · 27/12/2021 17:01

Yes, they probably shouldn't have emphasised its connection to the Hugh Grant programme.