It's the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been legalised and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.4/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 84
TMDB: 7.1/10
Production
Blueprint Television, BBC
Cast
Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, Alex Jennings, Monica Dolan, Jonathan Hyde, Jason Watkins, Patricia Hodge, Naomi Battrick, David Bamber
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, briskly told political scandal drama with strong performances and a dry, very British sense of irony. It works best as a compact prestige miniseries: funny in places, unsettling in others, and especially effective if you like true-story power games and character-driven satire.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy British political drama
Fans of true-story scandals and courtroom-adjacent intrigue
People who like limited series with a fast pace and strong performances
Viewers drawn to darkly comic, satirical prestige TV
Skip if
You want a sprawling multi-season arc
You prefer action-heavy or plot-twist-driven thrillers
You dislike period pieces centered on elite institutions
You want a more emotionally expansive or sympathetic lead
Overview
A Very English Scandal is a compact, sharply observed adaptation that turns a notorious political scandal into a brisk piece of social satire. It’s less interested in procedural detail than in the absurdity, hypocrisy, and class-coded manners surrounding Jeremy Thorpe’s downfall, and that gives it a sly, highly watchable rhythm.
Worth noting
Hugh Grant is especially well cast against type, playing charm as a weapon and a mask, while Ben Whishaw brings real pathos and volatility to the story’s emotional center. The series balances wit and dread well, and it never overstays its welcome; as a three-part limited drama, it feels lean rather than thin.
Bottom line
If you like prestige British television that mixes scandal, politics, and moral rot with a polished surface, this is an easy recommendation. It’s not a broad crowd-pleaser, but it is a very effective one: elegant, biting, and memorably acted.
2016 · Curator 9.9/10 (282.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
If you liked the polished British institutional drama and performance-driven power dynamics, this offers a longer, more expansive version of that appeal.