The Trial of Christine Keeler
- TV Series
- 2019–2020
Story of Christine Keeler, who found herself at the heart of a political sex scandal that rocked British government in the 1960s.Story of Christine Keeler, who found herself at the heart of a political sex scandal that rocked British government in the 1960s.Story of Christine Keeler, who found herself at the heart of a political sex scandal that rocked British government in the 1960s.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
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Featured reviews
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.
James Norton and Sophie Cookson are a revelation in this series. Powerful and relevant tale for our times. I'm loving this series.
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....
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....
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.
'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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the series was completed, the BBC held back broadcast in 2019 because it was felt unwise to show an historical drama presenting a political scandal during national election campaign. The series was moved from summer to autumn schedules. With the British general election finally called for December 12 2019, the series could finally be scheduled for the New Year season.
- Crazy creditsThe main characters were not listed in the closing credits. Instead the actors (but not their character names) were listed in the opening titles, and the closing credits only listed the minor characters.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Jeremy Vine: Episode #3.8 (2020)
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- Also known as
- Fallet Christine Keeler
- Filming locations
- The Exchange offices, St Nicholas Market, Bristol, England, UK(Parliamentary Offices, M15 offices)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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