Sick of Serial Killer Shows? The Best British True Story TV Series (That Aren’t About Murder)
The 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool FC fans lost their lives in a fatal human crush at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, is a tragedy known throughout the world, with consequences still felt to this day. Anne is the heartbreaking story of Anne Williams, a mum of three who lost her 15-year-old son Kevin at Hillsborough, and spent the rest of her life campaigning bravely for justice for the victims. Maxine Peake (Silk) plays Williams with an intensity it’s hard to look away from and brings her grief to life, alongside devastating performances from Stephen Walters (Shetland) as Anne’s husband Steve, Rob Jarvis (Hustle) as Hillsborough campaigner John Glover, and Bobby Schofield (SAS: Rogue Heroes) as Kevin’s brother Michael.
A Very British Scandal
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer (UK), Amazon Prime Video (US)
Forgery, theft, violence, drug use, adultery, bribery… the high-profile 1963 legal case between Margaret and Ian Campbell (the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, no less) was not your average divorce. Unsurprisingly, it gripped the tabloids at the time, but screenwriter Sarah Phelps portrays it in a decidedly more nuanced fashion in this three-part BBC drama, with superlative performances from Claire Foy (The Crown) and Paul Bettany (WandaVision) in the lead roles of the Duchess and Duke. Yes, it’s sexy and sordid, but it’s also a searing exploration of how women were publicly reviled and shamed for doing things men got away with pretty much unscathed.
A Very English Scandal
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer (UK), Amazon Prime Video (US)
Before A Very British Scandal came A Very English Scandal, in which Hugh Grant starred as Jeremy Thorpe, an MP and leader of the Liberal Party who became embroiled in a sex scandal in the late 1970s which ended his career. This three-part Russell T Davies production for the BBC had an exceptional cast: Ben Whishaw starred as Thorpe’s lover Norman Scott, with Alex Jennings (The Crown) and Jason Watkins (Count Magnus) as his fellow Liberal Party MPs, plus Eve Myles (Torchwood), Patricia Hodge (Miranda), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey) and many more familiar faces. It’s explosive, gripping, infuriating and rightly scooped a barrelful of awards.
Grenfell
Where to watch: Channel 4 (UK only)