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A very English Scandal

(436 Posts)
travelsafar Mon 21-May-18 08:03:21

I loved this new drama, i thought the actors were brilliant, everso slightly bonkers but sooo funny at times i was actually laughing.Cant wait for the next episode. Well done BBC.

GillT57 Tue 22-May-18 15:02:41

It certainly isn't funny bestwishes, it is a chilling portrayal of the way people of a certain class used and abused people of another. I think it is astonishing just how like Jeremy Thorpe Hugh Grant looks!

Jane10 Tue 22-May-18 15:03:39

Has anyone seen the Peter Cook spoof of the judge in the trial? I don't know how to post links but suggest you look for it on YouTube. He's so good at portraying those upper class types.

Welshwife Tue 22-May-18 15:59:13

I think that a lot of meetings in public loos in places like Hampstead Heath took place.

I would imagine that a bit of research about what goes on would be easy to find. The article Varian gave the link to mentions the production being based on a book written by John Prescott.

Grandma70s Tue 22-May-18 16:23:49

Not John Prescott, Welshwife, John Preston!

varian Tue 22-May-18 16:39:14

Sorry Welshwife I don't think I posted a link. Did I???

Welshwife Tue 22-May-18 16:42:48

Sorry it was Day6. - mis read that name - thanks for correcting me.

NotAGran55 Tue 22-May-18 19:52:13

Yes NanKate he is loving his new career smile and yes he gets between £120 & £200 per day .

gulligranny Tue 22-May-18 19:59:40

I stick to my view that this was not the serious work it could and should have been. I was put off by the music for a start, and though I certainly can't fault the acting - Ben Wishaw is never anything but marvellous - having lived through the actual events, I just felt it was more like a spoof than a proper piece of drama.

merlotgran Tue 22-May-18 20:41:16

I agree about the jolly music. It reminded me of the drama about Mary Whitehouse starring Julie Walters. It was appropriate for that but I don't think it is at all appropriate in this case.

I also remember having to answer some awkward questions from our elder children during the time of the trial.

Deedaa Tue 22-May-18 23:36:43

I didn't notice the music at all. I was a teenager at the time I think and it took me a long time to believe that it was all true. The whole shooting thing seemed very far fetched at the time.

The only gay couple I knew in those days were a pair of theatrical agents Diana Dors was one of their clients and I'm sure many people must have known about them but they never seemed to have any problems.

M0nica Wed 23-May-18 07:54:20

The biggest surprise was discovering Hugh Grant can act. He should do it more often.

grannyticktock Wed 23-May-18 15:08:59

Yes, it was as the music that was wrong. It suggested a jaunty 1960s sitcom, whereas in fact the drama itself was (rightly) far from jaunty, and rather dark. Hugh Grant was astonishingly convincing as JT.

BlueBelle Wed 23-May-18 16:42:03

I didn’t even notice the music what was it ?

Grandma70s Wed 23-May-18 17:12:15

I don’t know how anyone missed the music! There was so much of it, and all unnecessary and unsuitable. No idea what it was. Specially ‘composed’/constructed, I should think.

BlueBelle Wed 23-May-18 17:16:22

No I was busy following the story couldn’t even tell you if there was any music or not it made no impact on me at all Grandma70

Grannyknot Wed 23-May-18 17:28:11

I completely missed/didn't notice the music, it must have been "background" music...

NfkDumpling Wed 23-May-18 17:28:48

I didn’t notice the music either - and forgot after the first five minutes or so that it was Hugh Grant too, so he must have been acting well. I always get embarrassed at love making scenes, they always feel too voyeuristic for me and it may not be perfectly correct, but on the whole it gave the feel of the age and how things were then. (Gosh, that makes me feel really old. Talking about history wot I’ve lived through!)

M0nica Wed 23-May-18 17:34:18

I didn't notice the music either.

I remember the original events well. I was an active member of a Young Liberal branch in Central London at the time. I think the Profumo scandal and the trial of Stephen Ward awakened us all to the sleazier side of the establishment. I knew about half a dozen people who were gay, men and women, although all were still in the closet.

Grannyknot Sun 27-May-18 23:04:42

Excellent again tonight. I find myself feeling so sorry for Norman (very good acting from Ben Whishaw). And up popped the actress from Keeping Faith!

Nelliemoser Sun 27-May-18 23:34:18

I sat down to watch it tonight and dozed off during the catch up of the previous week's episode. I had better try again.

Glitterknitbaby Mon 28-May-18 00:46:54

I was glued to episode two and thought it was great, OH agreed with me which is very rare theses days as most times we have to beg to differ. But music,what music? I also thought Hugh Grant’s portral of JT was brilliant and at times I even thought it was him!!!

BlueBelle Mon 28-May-18 09:23:15

I didn’t like the ‘killer’ part I thought that became a bit farcical I was waiting for Reg Varney to pop up ( I think the killer reminded me of Blakey ) otherwise I m enjoying it but I didn’t think last night was as good as the first one

merlotgran Mon 28-May-18 09:35:29

Ha Ha, BlueBelle. That's who I was thinking of as well. grin

I had to pop out with the dogs half way through. What happened to Norman's welsh girlfriend?

Lazigirl Mon 28-May-18 09:54:36

I am totally with you gulligranny I am finding it difficult to take this drama seriously, when in RL the whole affair was extremely unpleasant, sordid and exploitative. The music is indeed jolly and drama is being played out as a farce, and hard not to laugh out loud at the attempted murder scene. Very disappointing in my view.

Jane10 Mon 28-May-18 10:21:08

I agree there's a whiff of 'Carry on' films or Ealing comedies about it. It was a nasty business.