A Very British Scandal review: a Duchess sunk by sexist double standards
Claire Foy and Paul Bettany star in this compulsive real-life drama.
There isn’t a sniff of Christmas cheer to be had in A Very British Scandal, which arrives on BBC One and iPlayer on Boxing Day. The three-part drama, created and written by Sarah Phelps (Dublin Murders, The Pale Horse), charts the courtship, marriage and subsequent divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, portrayed by WandaVision’s Paul Bettany and The Crown’s Claire Foy. Their relationship crashed and burned in full view of the world – and earned the latter a particularly crass moniker: the 'Dirty Duchess', which stuck to her like tar. The Duke, by contrast, was not given such a label – a staggering double standard that sits at the very centre of this narrative.
We're privy to the moment the pair first met, 16 years before they faced off against one another in court in 1963, when flirtation rather than verbal flaying was the order of the day.
In the scene, Ian Campbell, the Duke, initiates a conversation with his future Duchess, Margaret Sweeny, as she was then known. The former is fatigued by his own marriage, while the latter is on the brink of divorce – impeccable timing, it must be said. Ian turns on the charm immediately, making no secret of his lust-filled desires for Margaret, drinking up every ounce of her with a gaze that is both seductive and predatory. She bites and the rest, as they say, is history – literally, in this case.
The details of their tempestuous marriage, steeped in lies, betrayal and acute cruelty, are all public knowledge. Perhaps you're already well aware of their extraordinary tale, which is often stranger than fiction. Perhaps you’ve only just acquainted yourself with the two figures at the centre of this story. Either way, to go into any great detail about what's covered and how would be to spoil the viewing experience. But we can reveal that it does not disappoint.
A Very British Scandal is a sophisticated piece of television that delivers in every department. Phelps' exquisite turn of phrase is flexed to full capacity throughout as she seamlessly straddles both high drama and comedy – prepare yourself for golden clockwork dicks hopping up and down an expansive dining table. The series is visually stunning also, courtesy of Anne Sewitsky's first-rate direction, the richness of the various settings, which encompasses the exterior of the real-life Inveraray Castle where the couple lived, and a costume department that has outdone itself.
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The cast, too, is equally as impressive, with Foy and Bettany on their very best form. Their roles demand a lot from them, scaling the entire spectrum of emotion, from measured constraint to apoplectic rage, but not once do they falter. Much has been said of Margaret's magnetism, which drew the gaze of those around her whenever she entered a room, and Foy successfully captures that quality, relaying why the Duchess was such a source of desire and fascination to so many. Bettany's role is a deceptively physical one on account of the Duke’s near-constant state of inebriation and the rivers of fury that course through him. It’s a very particular, precise state of being that many can’t quite master, but Bettany doesn’t put a foot wrong.
In lesser pairs of hands, the rendering of the Duke and Duchess could have teetered into something rather clownish, but the duo conduct themselves with an authoritative ease that will no doubt deliver award recognition. Separately they're sublime, but together they are electric. If only we had one additional episode to admire their talents, which is our one singular quibble with this series. The action moves at such a pace that there’s certainly no danger of boredom, but some might feel that it could have benefitted from being given a little more room to breathe.
But it should be noted that this is more than just a piece of entertainment that'll go down very nicely with your cheese and port. Phelps is taking the history books and every individual who contributed, whether a line or several chapters, to task for the ghastly manner in which Margaret was treated. Not only did she refuse to hide her love of sex, she openly claimed that it was part of her skillset – "I’m extremely good at it", she says in the drama after Julia Davis’s Maureen attempts to humiliate her. For that, she was lambasted, by the press, the public and the judge who oversaw the divorce hearing.
He delivered a scathing three-hour judgment which had one purpose: to shame Margaret. Ian's actions as shown in the drama – his numerous dalliances with other women, excessive drinking and volatile outbursts – were not taken into account because those facts did not fit the popular narrative, which was concerned with punishing Margaret for entirely human faculties. She was a rabid dog who simply must be whipped into shape.
At the press Q&A, Phelps drew parallels between the treatment that Margaret endured and that which Meghan Markle has been subjected to more than half a century later. That also extends to Britney Spears, Caroline Flack, Amy Winehouse and countless other women. It is a damning indictment of society, both back in the '50s and '60s, and in this current moment. We still haven't learned, even now, after everything. But we must. We absolutely must.
A Very British Scandal airs on Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC One. While you’re waiting, take a look at our other Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV guide.
This year’s Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.
