You fell in love with her after her award-winning performance as the young Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown, and now, Claire Foy is going back in time once again for her upcoming series A Very British Scandal.
BBC One and Amazon Studios have released the first look images of Claire, who plays Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, alongside Paul Bettany (WandaVision) as Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. The series, written by Sarah Phelps, is based on the true story of the Duke and Duchess, and their divorce, which was one of the most notorious legal cases during the 20th century.
Margaret, who was known for her charisma, beauty and style was on the front page of every major publication at the time and accused her husband of forgery, theft, violence, drug use and bribery.
There was also an explicit Polaroid photo that went on to haunt her for the rest of her life. The series stars a number of big names including Amanda Drew (The Trial of Christine Keeler), Richard McCabe (Poldark), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock) and Phoebe Nicholls (The Elephant Man).
“I’m very excited to work with Anne, Sarah, and Paul on this extraordinary project and explore through this story how often shame, judgment, and controversy surround a woman’s sexuality,” Foy said in an official statement.
During the separation proceedings, the Duchess was accused of sleeping with 88 men, including two government ministers and three members of the royal family.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, the show’s executive producer told the Radio Times back in 2019 that, “The Duchess of Argyll was the first woman to be publicly shamed as promiscuous. Let’s focus on her second husband’s public divorce. He went through her private desk and found a list of all the men she slept with, as well as three Polaroid photos.”
The three-episode series is scheduled for release in 2022.