BBC One, Amazon Studios Greenlight A Very British Scandal

The makers of A Very English Scandal are prepping A Very British Scandal for BBC One and Amazon Studios, with Claire Foy (The Crown, Wolf Hall) and Paul Bettany (WandaVision, Uncle Frank, Avengers: Infinity War) leading the cast.

Written by Sarah Phelps (The Pale Horse, Dublin Murders), A Very British Scandal focuses on the divorce of the Duke (Bettany) and Duchess of Argyll (Foy), one of the most notorious and brutal legal cases of the 20th century.

The 3×1-hour series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and will be available on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Blueprint Pictures is producing, with Amazon Studios co-producing in the U.S.

Phelps said: “Writing the story of Margaret’s life and the events leading up to and including her divorce from the Duke has been a passion project of mine since 1993 when I first heard her name and started learning about her. I felt very strongly that she’d been punished for being a woman, for being visible, for refusing to back down, be a good girl and go quietly. This drama is my tribute to her.”

Foy said: “I’m so excited to work with Anne, Sarah and Paul on this extraordinary project, and to explore through this story, how often shame, judgment and controversy surround a woman’s sexuality.”

Bettany said: “I’m delighted to be working with the remarkable Claire Foy to tell the fascinating and scandalous story of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their very complicated lives. I’m also extremely happy to get the chance to once again be working with the wonderful teams at the BBC and Amazon Studios.”

Pete Czernin, co-founder of Blueprint Pictures, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring together the uniquely brilliant voices of Sarah Phelps and Anne Sewitsky with the class of Claire Foy and Paul Bettany. Uniting their outstanding talents, A Very British Scandal will shine a new light on the scandalous divorce of Margaret Argyll for a 21st-century audience.”

Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama, said: “Argyll v Argyll was one of the defining scandals of the 1960s. In the face of vilification in the press, Margaret fought valiantly but often in vain to control the narrative around her. With the help of our incredible writer Sarah Phelps, director Anne Sewitsky, the perfect casting of Claire Foy and Paul Bettany and the team at Blueprint, we are delighted to be able to shine a new light on these events and reframe the life of this infamous character.”

Brad Beale, VP of worldwide licensing for Prime Video, said: “A Very English Scandal was a tremendous success among Prime Video customers and critics alike, and we’re incredibly excited to work with the BBC and Blueprint again. We can’t wait to see Claire and Paul bring the fascinating Duchess of Argyll Scandal to life.”