IN The Crown she played our straight-laced Queen Elizabeth II but now Claire Foy has taken on a much racier role.
A Very British Scandal focuses on the divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, one of the most notorious, extraordinary, and brutal legal cases of the 20th century.
Famed for her charisma, beauty, and style, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll – played by Claire – dominated the front pages, as the divorce exposed accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, bribery, and an explicit Polaroid picture that was to haunt her for the rest of her life.
Claire stars opposite Paul Bettany as the Duke of Argyll and the trailer whizzes from the moment they meet, through their first steamy liaisons to their marriage.
At one point, the Duchess reveals about sex: “I like it very much, I’m very good at it.”
However, marital bliss doesn’t last long, and the trailer soon moves on to the unraveling of their union, followed by the brutal divorce battle.
While at one point, the pair are seen tearing each others clothes off for a steamy romp, the next moment sees them tearing each other apart as their relationship becomes toxic.
In the courtroom, the Duchess declares: “He doesn’t care about affairs, the only thing he cares about is destroying me.”
As a morose version of Love Will Tear Us Apart starts to play, the Duchess adds: “I meet men, I dine with men, it doesn’t follow that I have affairs with every single man that I meet…there’s only so many hours in a day.”
A Very British Scandal turns the scandal inside out in order to explore the social and political climate of post-war Britain, looking at attitudes towards women, and asking whether institutional misogyny was widespread at the time.
As her contemporaries, the press, and the judiciary sought to vilify her, Margaret kept her head held high with bravery and resilience, refusing to go quietly as she was betrayed by her friends and publicly shamed by a society that revelled in her fall from grace.
A Very British Scandal, starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Boxing Day at 9pm. The three episodes will air on BBC One over consecutive nights, and be available to watch immediately as a boxset on BBC iPlayer.
