User reviews

The Profumo affair of the 1960s makes for excellent drama - no surprises there, as it is a fascinating story with interesting 'side details' as well. The acting is superb - Norton as Stephen Ward is particularly brilliant, but Sophie Cookson as Keeler and Ben Miles (aka Patrick from Coupling) as Profumo delight as well. The only thing that lets it down is the way they have chosen to tell it. First of all flipping back between the years seems unnecessary and makes it all a bit itty-bitty. Second, although there's nothing wrong with the feminist framing on Keeler's perspective as it keeps the story fresh, the choice to have Keeler narrate the events (saying rather obvious things) makes the whole thing a bit fisted (a shame, as the writing and script the rest of the time is fine). They should have trusted the audience to be able to take in the message without spoon feeding it to them.

Profumo was the scandal that had everything: the minister! the spy! the call girl! the man in the mask! Ostensibly, this drama focuses on Christine Keeler, the primary young woman involved in the scandal, but like most latter-day accounts come to concentrate almost inevitably on the figure of the pimp. In fact, Stephen Ward wasn't really a pimp, more of a scapegoat, a social climbing osteopath who traded for status, not for money, introducing pretty young girls to an elite social circle. On one hand, it's hard to see his actions (and, indeed, the scandal in toto) as amounting to very much: men like to be around pretty girls, and rich and glamorous men can manage this, maybe even without having to explicitly pay - and it's nonsense to pretend that there's never any transactional quality to sex. On the other hand, there might seem to be something wrong when, in words attributed to Valerie Profumo in this drama, "life as a teenage girl is like being invited to a wonderful picnic, then discovering that you're the sandwich." Ward is hardly an admirable figure; but after the affair had nearly brought down the government, he was (absurdly) prosecuted for living off immoral earnings, and, abandoned by his high society friends, committed suicide.

'The Trial of Christine Keeler' is not bad, but it is quite long - the film 'Scandal' dealt with the same material more succinctly. It's portrayal of Keeler is persuasive but not so interesting; James Norton plays Ward, and although at first I disliked the performance (not because it was bad, simply because I loved John Hurt's more sympathetic performance in 'Scandal'), it grew on me. Some of the best content is on its depiction of the Profumos, in the background in 'Scandal', but here we get a compelling portrait of Jack's sense of entitlement, while also seeing how his marriage managed to work, and survive in spite of public humiliation.

Today the Profumo affair might seem to belong to a more innocent age, when we expected our supposed betters to behave (or at least, to misbehave in private) - it seems surprising that a tenuous connection between a minister and a spy could have been enough to ultimately play a large part in the resignation of a previously popular prime minister. But the era of "me too" has not just exposed stories of genuinely monstrous behaviour, but also raised questions about how women still have to negotiate a world where men hold all the cards. Ward was no Weinstein; but some of the issues are the same.

This six part BBC drama follows the channel's success two years before of its earlier treatment of another significant British historical/political scandal in the Houses of Parliament, the Jeremy Thorpe / Norman Scott affair. However, even as the years recede, ownership of that word scandal still belongs primarily to John Profumo, the Conservative war minister caught up in a sex scandal revolving around his involvement with the young Christine Keeler.

Conveniently, it seems, waiting until the last of the major players in this act had expired, being Ms Keeler herself in 2018, the way was clear for a pretty much no-holds barred expose of the crisis that with its accusations of sleaze at the highest levels of government arguably fatally winged Prime Minister Harold MacMillan's government of the day so that a bare year later he had resigned and the Tories 13 year long reign of power was ended by Labour under Harold Wilson.

Christine Keeler's own actual court trial for perjury doesn't occur until the final episode but the title of the series makes us aware that she herself was perpetually on trial in the public eye as she came under constant scrutiny the minute her involvement with both Profumo and Russian spy Yevgeny Ivanov came to light. Christine met both men at debauched parties convened by osteopath Stephen Ward to high society gents where he put attractive young women like her and her even younger friend Mandy Rice Davies in the way of middle aged men of wealth, title and influence.

In the aftermath of the story dragging Profumo onto the front pages of the all-powerful national press of the day, he of course lost his position, Keeler and Davies ended up in jail but not after making comparative fortunes from selling their stories to the papers and of course the main victim in the fall-out was Ward, who was effectively made society's scapegoat and firstly saw his profitable medical practice as well as his sideline work as a portrait artist collapse when his former friends in high places conveniently abandoned him. He then found himself on trial himself on trumped-up charges for living off so-called immoral earnings of Keeler and Davies. Railroaded by the police and at the mercy of a partial judge, he was bound to be found guilty prompting him to take the overdose which killed him before his verdict was inconsiderately delivered in absentia.

The direction, even though it sometimes confused with its plethora of flashbacks which sometimes disjointed the narrative, and acting throughout I thought was of a high standard by its largely well-cast ensemble, with perhaps just a few exceptions, commendably fleshing out the story. Of these, I felt that Emilia Fox as Profumo's pitiable actress wife and Neil Morrissey as Keeler's money-grabbing dad were miscast and out of their depth, while in the wider narrative I was surprised that at no stage in the story did P.M. MacMillan make an appearance.

The three main parties to the story of Keeler, Davies and Ward were excellently played by Sophie Cookson, Ellie Bamber and James Norton and even if Ben Miles didn't look much like the real Profumo, he certainly conveyed the man's privileged cake-and-eat-it hauteur, until he was caught literally with his pants down.

All in all, this seemed to me a realistic and fascinating dramatisation of a story which still resonates today and the watching of which, particularly its imbalanced treatment of the main players, still makes the blood boil today.

Can just about remember the Profumo affair so was interested to see how it was treated.

Think the story is accurate as I remember it and showing it from Keeler's perspective gives some insights into its twists and turns.

On the downside, the constant flashbacks add little to the narrative other than confusion and James Norton is unbelievably wooden as Stephen Ward.

Just seen episode 5 and I would modify my view on James Norton's performance during the trial. Still think he was poor up to that point but redeems himself in this episode.

By contrast, Sophie Cookson is both totally believable and looks remarkably like the eponymous character.

His constant repetition of "little baby!" when speaking to Christine is grating and, probably, out of character even for early sixties vernacular.

Could have been much better....

This would have been so much better if it was condensed into less episodes. Great costumes and good casting just too drawn out which made it a little boring at times.

Some of these reviews bewilder me. The story is well,and accurately told and beautifully acted. It really catches the spirit of the time, a time I remember.

At first I enjoyed it but thought it was nothing special but it warmed up nicely to the point the last 2 episodes were near perfection. A strong telling of a very worthwile true story. James Norton in particular was fantastic.

Once again, a retelling of events in the past is viewed and skewed by a production team who were not around at the time, and how they got so much of it so wrong. I was in my 20's at the time and remember the details of the affair clearly. Crowds of reporters outside the courts, their homes, everywhere they went reporting on what they were wearing, who had done their hair, nails, make up down to the last detail - just as the Daily Mail still does with celebrities today. There are enough old newsreels and newspaper articles in the archives for the writers and wardrobe people to have done their homework and got it right.

The Profumo affair was a major, major event which dominated the tabloid press for a couple of years in the early 60's. Everyone and his brother was selling their story to the press. The similarity between Stephen Ward and Jeffrey Epstein is striking, especially given the different attitudes of the time and the treatment of the girls. Ward became the fall guy due to his embarrassing the establishment, and after his suicide, Christine Keeler became the scapegoat because SOMEONE had to be punished. Just as Ghislaine Maxwell became the target after Espstein gave justice the slip.

My problems were not just with the constant confusing flashbacks, but with the miscasting of Sophie Cookson as Christine. The physical appearance and in particular the voice were all wrong. Christine was tall and slender, well groomed with a very low voice, not the shrill piping of a short rather dumpty actress with either a bad wig or messy hair, looking as if she had just got out of bed. It might have been the script, but Ms. Cookson played her as a none-too-bright low class girl totally out of her depth - an uneducated girl with aspirations of being a model or showgirl but drawn to the seamy world of Notting Hill, and criminals like slumloard Peter Rachman - her own worst enemy. There were many small details where a bit of research would have helped. The affair and notoriety ruined Christine's life and she eked out the rest of her life in a council flat, living on welfare at times.

The current 'woke' sensibility just couldn't be left out with a speech by Valerie Profumo on how men treated women badly. Cue the violins. The depiction of London as a dark seedy underworld rather than conveying the optimistic city of bright lights was probably intentional as 'swinging London' was still just around the corner, and the world of Ward's girls was on the fringes of the underworld - showgirls and hostesses in drinking clubs catering to men with money looking for a taste of the forbidden. Theirs was the world of Ruth Ellis. While Christine, and Mandy may not have been prostitutes, their friends Paula Hamilton Marshall and Ronnie Ricardo certainly were and it would only take a snap of the fingers and running out of rent money to tip them into the life.

James Norton and Sophie Cookson are a revelation in this series. Powerful and relevant tale for our times. I'm loving this series.

I lived through the time of the Profumo scandal, and my father was a journalist on the Daily Mirror. Even so, I would have to do some research to name some of the incidental political figures and their roles. None of the Cold War paranoia comes across, which could explain why the mere suspicion of Christine Keeler having relationships with the Minister of War and the military attaché of the Soviet Embassy caused hysteria in the corridors of power and the media. On top of that was the British government's fear of the reaction in Washington to this scandal, since the US government was already writing off the British government and intelligence establishment as a load of incompetent chinless wonders. Christine Keeler herself, if she was as ignorant of events as she is portrayed, is not the person best placed to make the situation understandable. Six hours of bewilderment will be hard to keep up with, however well acted. It's also likely to bewilder the audience, and this production lacks the dramatic tension to keep them involved.

I don't know how a audience can give assessment to a series by just one or two episodes. But some of the low score comments really irritates me. People may get wrong impression basing on such rash verdict.To avoid this, I feel obligated to give my assessment earlier than my usual way. It makes a good beginning in my eyes.I got at least 2 concerns about the story. The first of them is the mysterious identity of Stiffen, Why he cumulated the secrets of the politicians?for personal interest or for a national one. The second one is whether the story will end up as Jeffrey Epstein. By the way,I'm a audience from China.

I think this drama is a good example of establishment revenge - as well as a complex, comprehensive and transparent social study providing some interesting insights into the UK; and human society as a whole. Apparently the trial of Christine Keeler and her benefactor Stephen Ward was instigated after the downfall of the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963 - the trial having since been considered a miscarriage of justice and a charade of the establishment to protect itself; with Stephen Ward committing suicide due to the politically motivated legal harassment instigated by the UK political establishment. As serious and dramatic as the whole thing was, there was however also a comic side to 'The Trial of Christine Keeler' - with poor Christine being sentenced to nine months' imprisonment as punishment for having had sex with a UK Secretary of State for War - namely John Dennis Profumo - and a Soviet Spy, Yevgeny Ivanov - who allegedly informed Christine humorously that the Soviets had transported nuclear warheads to Berlin. So the whole affair not only caused some embarrassment to the UK government, but also to the Intelligence Community - including MI5, and possibly also MI6 (?). (Although this historic account deals rather conservatively with the involvement of British Intelligence in this particular high profile british scandal). Luckily though, those times are in the past; with the male UK political establishment being much more sexually secure and enlightened - because whether we like it or not, affairs are here to stay in today's world. And as indicated in this great British TV series, affairs not only end up in hurt or betrayal, but also in lessons of growth and discovery. So there is a certain ambiguity about human sexuality and extra marital activities; the protagonists in this British drama having been pioneers of the sexual revolution in post-Victorian England. Indeed, it's a good thing that Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies and the Russian spy Yevgeny Ivanov sparked the sexual revolution in the UK - so that the English working class were finally being permitted to behave just as sexually progressive as the British establishment :)

This series had it all for me... modern history, social commentary, politics, music and multicultural cast.

It was as if the series was made especially for me especially having enjoyed A Very English Scandal as much.

I saw the film Scandal at the cinema when it was released in the 80's - I didn't understand it. Too young.

This time around with Christine's mother and the PM's wife's emotional journey clarified the scandal from the perspective of women. Nicely done.

The production values were stunning and immersive.

I wish I could watch it again anew, but I took my time with it first time around. Did not want to miss a thing.

Found it a bit dull. I loved James Norton in Happy Valley but have found him dull in the last 2 things I've seen him in. He seems to be typecast as the Posh boy now.

I thought this was a 2 or max 3 parter. I might have lived with that but they are drsgging out this borefest for 6 episodes. I just popped on wiki and read up about it now I'm done. Not interested. Sorry

Watch A Very British Scandal instead.

The BBC couldn't resist rewriting history. Having said that, mildly entertaining and a glimpse of the seedy side of the 60s just before the demise of deference.

Good series very well acted.

My problem is that if the government wanted it to just go away, why did they prosecute Ward and then Keeler.

The damage had already been done.

The old familiar story with a different set of characters and the usual (with some surprises) conclusion. A slow burner done well enough to keep you very interested and to even generate thoughtful discussions between episodes as we try to adapt a 2020 reasoning to a time 60 years ago. Well done all around.

The story is interesting but as I'm on episode 3 how much more can you squeeze out of it?

All of this took place just as I was starting secondary school. I was very confused and bewildered by the hypocrisy, and the intensity of the media coverage. It shattered my cosy childish beliefs. Watching this made me sad and angry and bewildered again by the hypocrisy. I think it was a well acted and accurately portrayed linear narrative.

Keeler/Profumo affair, a scandal that's been told million times, some reviewers ask why make another dramatisation again and again? Like the old saying, Sex turns the world around. The Brits might be bored with Profumo scandal and the saucy picture of Christine Keeler striding over a chair. But the rest of the world may not. The resurfacing of the story is not entirely a remake of the old film. This programme, although entitled "the trial of Christine Keeler," actually climaxed on the trial of Stephen Ward, who was convicted for "living off immoral earnings" implying that he was in the business of procuring young girls for the pleasure of the rich and famous. Sounds familiar? A predecessor of Epstein maybe? But the parallels are not quite the same. Epstein seemed to have made millions out of his sleaze trade, whereas Steven Ward never demanded payment for his "social fixing". Ward was a reputable Harley Street doctor, living on the earnings from his medical practice. It was a travesty of justice to convict him as "living off immoral earnings". What's more interesting is that in the case of Stephen Ward, foreign secret agencies were implicated. In the 60s, it was referred to as "honey trap" espionage. But in Epstein case, the hidden agenda was not just about espionage.

Imagine if Christine Keeler were like Virginia Roberts Giuffre, she would have become multi-millionaire several times over. But Keeler had too much pride, she had never sold herself as one of those "me too" fortune hunters.

Unfortunately in this world of hypocrisy, the honest ones always ended badly. Feel sorry for Steven Ward and Profumo, who had been made scapegoat to cover up the sleaze business of more important figures higher up in the establishment.

Artistically speaking, it's a watchable programme with a boring start but gets better from Episode 3 onwards. Sophie Cookson and James Norton did a good job as Keeler and Ward acting with true emotions. The script could be made more coherent by rearranging the timeline. Too many flashbacks jumping back and forth can be quite confusing.

A depressing story but on the whole a thought-provoking programme that reminds us of what's happening now. As Keeler's lawyer told her, Justice is not about truth. Justice is a game. A game of deception.

Will watch again to take it all in. James Norton you are the best love all that you do. Wish you all the success in anything you do I am right behind you.

I wanted to like this. I really did, as the Profumo scandal fascinates me, however this is somthing of a mess, with a heavy relience on flashbacks, which only adds to the confusion of the plot. Even old history hacks like me will find it hard to follow & quite tedious in places. The acting is fairly good but is let down by a very weak script & the constant repetition of "Little baby" from Stephen Ward every other sentance is really nerve grating. Even in the superb 1989 film "Scandal" Ward (Sir John Hurt) only uttered the phrase once. This series also paints Christine Keeler as a victim when in reality she used her notoriety to secure various modelling jobs & enormous sums of money from newspapers for her story. If anything she was a silly little party girl who was playing with fire! So I believe this show has a feminist taint, where all men are evil, sex maniacs & all women are innocent victims of male abuse & while there were wrongs on all sides of the Profumo Affair, it certainly was not as one sided as it is painted in this series. This could have been terrific if there were no annoying flash backs, if they had a decent script writer & just told this juicy story as it is. The original story needs no added extras. Also there is no way this needed 6 episodes as just 3 would have done the job nicely.

Anyway, I am giving this a 4 stars for the acting, which is fairly good, but the structure of story telling is sadly lacking, & to be fair the actors did their best trying to work from a terrible script & awful direction. However, this is worth a watch, but to be honest here the 1989 film "Sandal" is far better in quality.