The volatile marriage between Margaret Whigham Sweeny and the 11th Duke of Argyll culminates in one of the most brutal and public divorce cases in British legal history. In 1963, the Duke's discovery of a "headless man" photograph sparks a media circus that subjects Margaret to unprecedented public shaming. A sharp, caustic follow-up to the earlier "A Very English Scandal," this miniseries swaps the whimsical tone of the Jeremy Thorpe affair for something much darker and more visceral.
It is a searing examination of how the mid-century establishment weaponized female sexuality to destroy a woman who refused to play the victim. The production is impeccably styled, capturing the chilly grandeur of Inveraray Castle and the sophisticated glamour of London high society. Claire Foy gives a towering performance as the Duchess, portraying her with a mix of icy entitlement and desperate vulnerability.
She makes no effort to be traditionally likable, which makes her eventual humiliation at the hands of the law even more effective. Paul Bettany is equally good as the Duke, a man whose charm curdles into frightening malice. The script by Sarah Phelps is lean and mean, stripping away the romanticism of the aristocracy to reveal the rot underneath.
A sophisticated, grimly compelling drama about the end of an era and the birth of the modern tabloid age.
Production Details
UK / BBC One - Blueprint Pictures / 3x60 Minute Episodes / 2021
Writers: Sarah Phelps
Directors: Anne Sewitsky
Executive Producer: Sarah Phelps, Claire Foy
Music: Nathan Barr
Main Cast
Claire Foy as Margaret Campbell
Paul Bettany as Ian Campbell
Julia Davis as Maureen Guinness
Richard McCabe as George Whigham
Sophia Myles as Louise Campbell