The Trial of Christine Keeler


The Trial of Christine Keeler is a British television series based on the chain of events surrounding the Profumo affair in the 1960s. The six-part series premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2019. The series was adapted by screenwriter Amanda Coe and stars Sophie Cookson, James Norton, Ellie Bamber, Ben Miles, Visar Vishka, Emilia Fox, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Anthony Welsh. Keshet International handled the distribution rights internationally whilst Endeavor Content handled the distribution rights in the US.

Premise

, an English model and a showgirl, becomes entangled in a scandal at age 21, after a series of events involving her two ex-boyfriends Johnny Edgecombe and Lucky Gordon, in combination with MI5's secret service intrigues. These combine to reveal publicly two of Keeler's affairs from two years before when she was 19. Both affairs were with married men - Soviet Union naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov, and Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, at the height of the Cold War.

Cast

Main cast

Development

The Trial of Christine Keeler was announced as a project by the BBC in October 2017, with Amanda Coe attached to script. At the time of the announcement Coe stated, "I’m excited to have the opportunity to bring a fresh lens to a story that has become a powerful fable of our national identity. The astonishing story of Christine Keeler and the so-called Profumo affair is the Salem Witch Trial meets O.J. Simpson – a perfect storm of gender, class, race and power that resonates into the world we’re living in today."

Filming

Filming began in Bristol in December 2018.
Filming was also spotted on Lansdown Terrace Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Abbey Green and North Parade Buildings in Bath can also be seen in episode 1.

Episodes

Release

will handle the distribution rights internationally with Endeavor Content in the United States. The series consists of six episodes.