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.
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.