A Very British Scandal: cast with Claire Foy as Duchess of Argyll, Amazon Prime US release date and trailer

A Very British Scandal was BBC One’s big Boxing Day drama of 2021. It stars Claire Foy as Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, and tells the story of one of the most infamous divorces of the 20^th century.

Now, in April 2022, it’s arriving in the US. All three episodes of Sarah Phelps’ period drama will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video in the US from Friday April 22.

Here’s everything you need to know about A Very British Scandal.

What is it about and is it based on a true story?

A Very British Scandal is about one of the most notorious divorces of the 20^th century. It charts the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Ian and Margaret Campbell, and its eventual breakdown.

The divorce case began because the Duke was convinced the Duchess was cheating on him – the subsequent divorce gained much media attention because a number of scandalous photos of Margaret were found, prompting accusations she had cheated on the Duke with as many as 88 other men (including government ministers and members of the Royal family).

A Very British Scandal was written by Sarah Phelps, who is best known for a series of Agatha Christie adaptations, including The Witness For the Prosecution, And Then There Were None, and The ABC Murders.

Who was Margaret Campbell and what is a Duchess?

Margaret Campbell was the third wife of Ian Campbell, the 11^th Duke of Argyll. The pair lived in Inverary Castle, in Scotland.

A Duke or Duchess is a noble title. They are ranked below Princes, but ahead of Marquis, Counts, and Barons.

Who is in the cast?

Leading the cast is Claire Foy as Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll. You’ll recognise Claire Foy from The Crown, where she played the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first two series of the Netflix drama.

Foy has also starred in television series Wolf Hall and The Promise, as well as films such as Unsane, First Man, and The Girl in the Spider’s Web. She can be seen next in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, an artist biopic alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.

Paul Bettany joins her as Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll. Bettany has starred in films like A Knight’s Tale and Solo: A Star Wars Story, but he’s probably best known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Vision.

Earlier this year he was nominated for an Emmy award for his performance in Disney+ Marvel series WandaVision.

Alongside them, the rest of the cast includes Julia Davis (Love Actually), Richard McCabe (1917), Phoebe Nicholls (Elephant Man), Sophia Myles (Doctor Who), and Amanda Drew (The Girl Before).

When is it on and how can I watch it?

All three episodes of Sarah Phelps’ period drama will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video in the US from Friday April 22.

A Very British Scandal began on Boxing Day on BBC One at 9pm. The second part aired on 27 December and the final part on the 28 December, both at 9pm again.

All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer as a boxset after the first episode has finished airing.

Where can I see the trailer?

Right here! In the trailer for A Very British Scandal, you can see the Duke and Duchess of Argyll (Paul Bettany and Claire Foy) during the early stages of their relationship, with a few brief glimpses of the bitter turn it eventually takes.

Will there be a second series?

Technically, this is already the second series. In 2018, A Very English Scandal aired on BBC One – it was about the Jeremy Thorpe affair, starring Hugh Grant as Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as Norman Scott. That series was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears.

A Very British Scandal is a loose (and renamed) sequel, the next installment in what’s intended to be an anthology series about significant scandals of the 20^th century. There’s no confirmation yet, however, if there will be a third series of A Very British Scandal, or which scandal it would depict if there was.

What did your review say?

You can read NationalWorld’s A Very British Scandal review here, which praises Claire Foy’s performance, but notes that “[the series] too closely mimics the structure of its predecessor, leaving the divorce trial largely to third part of the miniseries, meaning that when the case concludes and the credits roll, it feels like A Very British Scandal has ended before it even really began”.

Why should I watch it?

Because Claire Foy and Paul Bettany are both fantastic actors giving characteristically strong performances. If you like period drama, this is likely for you.

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