Netflix has added The Trial of Christine Keeler, the BBC's critically acclaimed drama about the Profumo Affair.
The six-part drama, added to Netflix in the UK today [Monday, May 12], promises a fresh look at one of the most infamous British scandals of the 20th century, which centered on 19-year-old model and dancer Christine Keeler (Sophie Cookson). It originally aired on the BBC in 2019.
Keeler had an affair with the Secretary of State for War John Profumo (Ben Miles), while at the same time she was having an affair with the Soviet naval attaché in London, who was a suspected spy.
Also involved in the scandal was osteopath and artist Stephen Ward (James Norton), who introduced Profumo to Keeler and later stood trial for "living off immoral earnings".
Emilia Fox stars as Profumo’s wife, Valerie, while Ellie Bamber plays Keeler’s friend Mandy-Rice Davies, who was also part of the scandal that cast a huge cloud over Harold Macmillan's Conservative government.
Like the JFK assassination, there’s a feeling that even to this day, there are still secrets lurking about the scandal, with files still to be released.
Putting the women at the heart of the story
The drama's writer, Amanda Coe, said at the time she wanted to go against versions of the scandal that portrayed Keeler as a femme fatale.
"In truth this was an affair between a middle-aged, powerful man and a teenage, powerless young woman. I just thought about what that must have been like and wanted to explore the transaction between them.
"We know it was primarily a sexual transaction, but what were those private scenes like? I can imagine the awkwardness and the fact that they had very little in common. In truth, apart from an attraction, and the mutuality of that attraction is debatable at best, I don’t think there could have been anything else.”
Is the Trial of Christine Keeler worth a watch?
Yes, it’s a classy drama with a great cast. It got a generally good critical response, with The Independent describing it as "a timely, scandalous story about sleazy politicians".
Netflix continues to be a great place to catch BBC dramas you might not have seen when they originally aired. Ben Whishaw's excellent 1950s drama The Hour and Vicky McClure's thriller The Replacement are great examples.
The Trial of Christine Keeler isn’t currently on BBC iPlayer.
The Trial of Christine Keeler is on Netflix now in the UK. It’s available to watch on Max in the US.
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