Miniseries · BBC One
A Very English Scandal
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Hugh Grant
Jeremy Thorpe
3 eps
Ben Whishaw
Norman Scott
3 eps
Alex Jennings
Peter Bessell
3 eps
Monica Dolan
Marion Thorpe
3 eps
Jonathan Hyde
David Napley
3 eps
Blake Harrison
Andrew 'Gino' Newton
2 eps
Paul Hilton
David Holmes
2 eps
Jason Watkins
Emlyn Hooson
3 eps
Michele Dotrice
Edna Friendship
2 eps
Anthony O'Donnell
Leo Abse
1 eps
Eve Myles
Gwen Parry-Jones
1 eps
Patricia Hodge
Ursula Thorpe
3 eps
Naomi Battrick
Diana Stainton
3 eps
David Bamber
Lord Arran
3 eps
Morgan Watkins
Mike Steele
2 eps
Andrew French
Sergeant at Arms
2 eps
Nick Malinowski
Returning Officer
2 eps
Alice Orr-Ewing
Caroline Allpass
1 eps
Flora Montgomery
Diane Kelly
2 eps
Rhys Parry Jones
John Le Mesurier
2 eps
Dyfan Dwyfor
George Deakin
2 eps
Arabella Neale
Jeremy's Secretary
2 eps
Marianne Oldham
Stella Levy
2 eps
Caleb Roberts
Daniel Badwah
2 eps
Susan Wooldridge
Countess of Arran
1 eps
John Bett
Lord Kilmuir
1 eps
Nicholas Blane
Norman Van De Vater
1 eps
Michelle Fox
Lyn
1 eps
Daryl McCormack
Luke Mackenzie
1 eps
Ben Moor
BBC Radio Interviewer
1 eps
Chris Ashby
Messenger
1 eps
Patrick Barlow
Capt Myers
1 eps
Lucy Briggs-Owen
Sue Scott
1 eps
Michael Culkin
Reginald Maudling
1 eps
Peter F. Gardiner
David Steel
1 eps
Charlotte Lucas
Janet Lawrence
1 eps
Jasmyn Banks
Bridget
1 eps
Nigel Hastings
Stable Owner
1 eps
David Palstrom
Welsh Policeman
1 eps
Pablo Raybould
Auctioneer
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How A Very English Scandal actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
A Very English Scandal reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
It's the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been legalised and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide.
The run
Seasons
1 season · 3 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Miniseries
20183 episodes
7.6IMDbThe shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy to murder. Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant), the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide. His ex-lover Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw) is putting Thorpe's brilliant political career at risk so Thorpe schemes and deceives until he realizes there’s only one way to silence Scott for good.
Best episode · S01E03 Episode 3
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E03
Episode 3
Having survived a bungled attempt on his life, Norman Scott publicly accuses Jeremy Thorpe of being behind a plot to kill him. After years of acrimony between them, Norman and Jeremy finally go head to head in court with the world watching.
- Directed by Stephen Frears
- Written by Russell T Davies
S01E02
Episode 2
As Jeremy gets one step closer to becoming prime minister, Norman demands that old promises should be honoured. With the old affair with Norman threatening to derail his political career, will Jeremy stop at nothing to silence him?
- Directed by Stephen Frears
- Written by Russell T Davies
S01E01
Episode 1
It is 1960s England, homosexuality is illegal and the politician Jeremy Thorpe begins a whirlwind affair with a young stable hand, Norman Scott. But when the relationship turns sour and Jeremy’s career goes from strength to strength, Norman becomes a secret that Jeremy is desperate to hide…
- Directed by Stephen Frears
- Written by Russell T Davies
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E01
Episode 1
- Directed by Stephen Frears
- Written by Russell T Davies
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Dan WinchProducer
- Stephen FrearsExecutive Producer
- Russell T DaviesExecutive Producer
- Peter CzerninExecutive Producer
- Lucy RicherExecutive Producer
- Diarmuid McKeownExecutive Producer
Writing
- Russell T DaviesWriter
Direction
- Stephen FrearsDirector
Cinematography
- Danny CohenDirector of Photography
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon Prime VideoStreaming
- Amazon Prime Video with AdsStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Blue Canvas of Youthful Days
2024
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Heated Rivalry
2025
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Boots
2025
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Queer as Folk
1999
Character-driven drama · Shared creator
It's a Sin
2021
Character-driven drama · Shared creator
Tip Toe
2026
Character-driven drama · Shared creator
Love By Chance
2018
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Killing Eve
2018
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
The Untamed
2019
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Good Omens
2019
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
The Spy
2019
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
The Queen's Gambit
2020
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Off Campus
2026
Another masterpiece of long-form storytelling, chosen to follow this one.
Silo
2023
Another invented world built with the same seriousness — start at episode one.
Reacher
2022
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Tracker
2024
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
Overdo
2026
A natural next watch: same ambition, different world.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation