In 1965, Jeremy Thorpe, a Liberal MP, faces blackmail from his unstable ex-lover, Norman Josiffe, whom he met in 1961. After years of a tumultuous relationship, Thorpe grows tired of Norman and severs ties with him. Norman, unable to keep a job and with a penchant for drama, threatens to expose their homosexual affair. Thorpe's fellow MP, Peter Bessell, silences Norman with money, but Thorpe refuses to help him get a new National Insurance card. By 1968, Thorpe becomes the youngest-ever Liberal Party leader, marries Caroline Allpass, and has a baby. Norman, now known as Norman Scott, is increasingly erratic and contacts Caroline, revealing his past with Thorpe, which shocks her. Caroline dies in a car crash in 1970, and Thorpe is devastated. Meanwhile, Bessell flees to the United States to avoid financial troubles. Norman continues his attempts to get a new National Insurance card and to expose Thorpe. Thorpe, now married to Marion Stein, considers having Norman killed. In 1973, an attempt to silence Norman fails when Andrew Newton kills Norman’s dog instead. Norman reports the crime, and Thorpe’s involvement is suspected. The resulting 1976–79 Thorpe affair sees Thorpe resign as Leader of the Liberal Party and lose his seat at the 1979 UK general election. Thorpe and his co-conspirators are tried for attempted murder, but they are acquitted. Thorpe's political career ends, and he never holds public office again. He remains married to Marion until her death on 6 March 2014, and he dies about nine months later on 4 December during the same year. Bessell dies in 1985, and Norman, still without a National Insurance card, lives with 11 dogs.
The first series was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears, with Hugh Grant starring as Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as Scott. The BBC television drama was first announced on 4 May 2017, with Grant already cast as Thorpe. Ben Whishaw was announced to join the cast in August, and the rest of the cast was announced in October. Along with the further casting announcement, Amazon took the US rights for the show.
A Very English Scandal received very positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 97% based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 8.80/10. Rotten Tomatoes's critical consensus reads, "Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw impress in A Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society". Metacritic gives the miniseries a weighted average rating of 84 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In 2019, the series was ranked 76th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.
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