A Very English Scandal season 2 announced with Claire Foy and Paul Bettany starring

Paul Bettany and Claire Foy — (Image credit: Warner Bros./Summit Entertainment/Netflix)

A Very English Scandal is returning for a season 2, which will star The Crown's Claire Foy and WandaVision's Paul Bettany.

Deadline reports that the three part series, named A Very British Scandal, will focus on a sex scandal from 1963 which involved an explicit image of Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, and an unidentified man. Foy will play the Duchess, with Bettany portraying her husband the Duke of Argyll – the two eventually divorced, with the Duke accusing his wife of infidelity. The series will examine post-war Britain, investigating whether institutional sexism was prevalent, and will look at the Duchess' reaction to her public vilification.

A Very English Scandal season 1 starred Hugh Grant as English politician Jeremy Thorpe, with Ben Whishaw playing his alleged ex-lover Norman Scott. It was penned by It's a Sin and Doctor Who's Russell T. Davies, with Sarah Phelps taking over writing for season 2. A Very British Scandal will be directed by Anne Sewitsky.

"Writing the story of Margaret's life and the events leading up to and including her divorce from the Duke has been a passion project of mine since 1993 when I first heard her name and started learning about her," Phelps said. "I felt very strongly that she'd been punished for being a woman, for being visible, for refusing to back down, be a good girl and go quietly. This drama is my tribute to her."

Foy and Bettany also spoke about the series (H/T The Hollywood Reporter), with Foy commenting: "I'm so excited to work with Anne, Sarah and Paul on this extraordinary project, and to explore through this story, how often shame, judgment and controversy surrounds a woman's sexuality."

Bettany said he's "delighted to be working with the remarkable Claire Foy to tell the fascinating and scandalous story of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their very complicated lives."

A Very British Scandal is set to air on the BBC in the UK, and Amazon Prime Video will stream the series in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. There's no release date yet, but in the meantime, check out the best shows on Amazon Prime to stream now.

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I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.