Back in 2017, Westminster was rocked by a long series of allegations of sexual misconduct made against members of parliament and their staff. A year later, Sarah Vaughan, an author of psychological thrillers, published a novel exploring the trials and tribulations of a married couple dealing with the fallout of a #MeToo accusation. Now, with scant progress made cleaning up Westminster’s act, Netflix has brought that story to the screen in the form of a glamorous six-part miniseries.
Anatomy of a Scandal follows Tory MP and immigration minister James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) in the wake of revelations that he cheated on his wife Sophie (Sienna Miller) with his parliamentary aide Olivia (Aladdin’s Naomi Scott). What starts as a mere tabloid imbroglio becomes far more serious when James is accused of rape. The scandal is, from there, anatomised at the Old Bailey, as Michelle Dockery’s prosecution lawyer, Kate Woodcroft, pulls the politician’s life and history apart.
