The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Mandy Rice Davies was Peter Rachmann's mistress; he was married but he maintained her in a flat where cChristine had previously lived as his mistress briefly.

Bluebelle Profumo was awarded the CBE for his charity work

Yes, amazing isn't it!!

Sorry, flippin' autocorrect changes the meaning again.

I'm not sure, Anniebach

However she was probably made of tougher stuff than Christine Keeler who seems to have been completely under the spell of Stephen Ward, almost like a cult leader.

Is there evidence that Mandy Rice Davies was abused? She seems to have a fairly normal, uneventful upbringing, unlike Christine, but set off to London to make the most of the 'good life's there, which she did.
She seemed to be perfectly well aware of the score.

I didn’t feel much love towards Steven Ward I think he had everything he wanted and it all went his way for a long time he was a pimp in my eyes when it all feel through he took himself out the equation leaving the girls to feel guilty about his death and their parts in it
I think the actress playing Christine was good and a very pretty lady I didn’t warm to Mandy she seemed harder and selfish, thoughtless unless everything was going her way She seemed as if she d stab you in the back to get what she wanted
Are we really meant to believe Profuma did nothing but good deeds for the rest of his life, that was miraculous

I hope no one sees myself and Annie as in a clique, or in opposing cliques. We sometimes agree and other times we don’t,
But we don’t fall out about it .

Exactly Annie, doesn’t matter how often we discuss it, we see this differently. I don’t see all 16 or 17 year olds as victims but I do believe this drama showed the complexity of the situation. Two girls out for some fun and freedom. They got some of that but at a price, especially for Christine.

Iam unlike you I don’t think all 17 year olds are / were victims, all 17 year olds who were/ are nightclub hostesses victims.

Annie, your views on Christine Keeler have been expressed often.
Yes imo both were victims - 16 year olds working as exotic dancers with no parental guidance. They’d both been subjected to abuse when younger. They were just the level of beauty, vulnerability, sassiness as vulnerable to sexual exploitation. They found their new lives exciting. Mandy Rice Davies was more resilient than Keeler. That’s life

Was Mandy Rice Davies a victim ?

Great dramatisation of Christine Keeler’s Story. I agree that James Norton was quite brilliant as Stephen Ward. Ward worked with Mi6 , so was abandoned by them as well as the establishment.
I thought the portrayal of Christine was good. A mixture of toughness and vulnerability. Damaged by her childhood experiences, seeking excitement and freedom using whatever she could to achieve it.
Her legal representative’s summing up was spot on. She’d been 16 -17 when she arrived in London, a child to be used and exploited. Evidently, she refused to be seen as a victim though towards the end of her life she accepted her lawyer was right

We loved it. Great to see the story from a different direction. Great acting.

The last episode is on tomorrow night and after that at 10pm on BBC2 is 'Keeler, Profumo, Ward and Me' which looks interesting. It's by a young journalist who reported on the case at the time. There's also a big article about the series and the case in this week's Radio Times.

If there is a drama in 50 years time about Epstein, none of us will be watching and commenting methinks!

Suziewoosie, most men of that period, up to the 70s, and later, were more influential than women. Women were blamed more than men for promiscuity. Ward had the advantage of being a white male. He was not a pimp, just a sexually liberated man. Sexual liberation was less good for women than for men.
There was not a prudish but a sexist imbalance .

She's coming across as quite hard and unpleasant and I've always imagined her as being a more vulnerable and naive person.

I thought she was coming across as a bit thick.

Yes Beswitched JN’s performance has been stunning - so nuanced. You’ve put your finger on my unease with the CK role - it doesn’t quite work for me .

James Norton has been wonderful in this, giving layers and complexity to Ward. It was so sad last night seeing the scales fall from his eyes as he realised he had never been an integral part of the upper crust social set he had built his life around. When the chips were down they closed ranks and abandoned him. His life must have seemed so meaningless and pathetic at that moment.

I'm not sure that the actress playing Christine has really captured her that well. She's coming across as quite hard and unpleasant and I've always imagined her as being a more vulnerable and naive person.

Blinko. I believe it’s happening now with Andrew. I can imagine in 50 years time documentaries/ dramas about the Epstein set and all the cover ups involved.

The great and the good - so called - certainly do not come out of this sorry saga covered in glory. I felt sorry for Ward at the time and thought the portrayal by James Norton in this series has been masterly. Desperately sad end for him, whatever his pretensions in RL. His high and mighty 'friends' not only dumped him but conspired at his demise. Despicable. I believe this behaviour still prevails today, as in the case of PB.

Amazing as he would be as James Bond I too would rather he played interesting characters so we can enjoy the quality of his acting. I watched him tonight and the final death scene was so moving.

James Norton has been excellent as Stephen Ward, and has shown all the nuances of his character, I think. It's been a great part for him.

Rather than see James Norton as James Bond - although I am certain he would be excellent, I would much rather that he continued playing these amazing character parts - may not be quite so financially lucrative but so much more fulfilling for the fine actor that he undoubtedly is - we shall see

Much too good an actor for Bond but I expect it would be a career maker!

James Norton for James Bond, anyone?

I think he'd make a great Bond!