The Trial of Christine Keeler

The Trial of Christine Keeler
Series title over faded out image of the drama
Genre Drama
Created by Amanda Coe
Starring
Music by Jonathan Rhys Hill
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 6
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Rebecca Ferguson
  • Vrushank Velhankar
Production location Bristol
Running time 60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network BBC One
Release 29 December 2019 –
26 January 2020

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.

Premise

Christine Keeler, 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 prominent 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

Recurring and guest cast

Production

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, 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

No. in
series		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date UK viewers
(millions)
1 "Episode 1" Andrea Harkin Amanda Coe 29 December 2019 7.78
Keeler, along with Rice-Davies, is already known to MI5 through her association with Stephen Ward, who arranged sex parties for his friends in high political office, Soviet diplomats and businessmen. Keeler comes to the attention of the police when her boyfriend, Johnny Edgecombe, uses a pistol in the street. Journalists also looking for a rumoured scandal involving John Profumo make her an offer.
2 "Episode 2" Andrea Harkin Amanda Coe 30 December 2019 6.71
Eugene Ivanov leaves the country, having been recalled by the Soviet government after they sense an upcoming scandal. Keeler gives evidence against Edgecombe at his pre-trial hearing. Keeler is encouraged against Ward's wishes to sell her story to the Mirror group of newspapers, Rice-Davies having already done so. Keeler is shocked to find the press know that she had tried and failed as a 16-year-old to abort her baby early in her pregnancy. Her son Peter, whom Keeler gave birth to prematurely when she was 17, lived for only six days. Keeler lies by denying that Peter's father was black. Profumo denies everything and expects Ward to sort it out, but Ward's world is falling apart after Keeler's revelations in the press. Keeler suspects that Ward is a spy, and his home is burgled and papers taken.
3 "Episode 3" Andrea Harkin Amanda Coe 5 January 2020 6.75
Hollis from MI5 refuses Profumo's demand that a D-Notice be issued to suppress Keeler's story in the Sunday Mirror. Profumo's attempt to buy off Keeler backfires over the amount offered. Keeler fails to attend the trial of Edgecombe as a prosecution witness, although Rice-Davies revelling in the publicity does. Edgecombe is convicted on one of four charges and receives seven years' imprisonment. Keeler has fled to Alicante with her manager Paul Mann. Ward sells his story to the Mirror making no mention of Profumo and discrediting Keeler. Profumo makes a statement in the House of Commons denying any impropriety with Keeler. Mann and Keeler return to England with the promise of thousands of pounds from the Daily Express. Keeler is surprised to find Ward had paid for her holiday in Spain.
4 "Episode 4" Andrea Harkin Amanda Coe 12 January 2020 6.11
After seeing Ward talking to a Labour MP Profumo wants him discredited. Hollis of MI5 finds no grounds because of Profumo's denials but the police believe Ward can be charged with living off immoral earnings. Keeler is pressurised by the police to reveal the men she has slept with. Separately Rice-Davies comes under the same scrutiny. Both women refuse. Keeler is attacked by Lucky Gordon, who is successfully prosecuted and jailed on Keeler's dubious statement. Rice-Davies is jailed on remand for having a fake driving licence given to her by the late Peter Rachman. Ward's clients begin to cancel appointments and he sends letters to politicians and businessmen. Profumo is summoned back from holiday by the prime minister and resigns after admitting the affair with Keeler. Keeler and Rice-Davies sign statements admitting they accepted money for sex. Ward is arrested.
5 "Episode 5" Leanne Welham Amanda Coe 19 January 2020 5.69
Ward appears at the Old Bailey charged with living off the earnings of prostitution but is allowed freedom of movement and to live at home during the trial. Keeler and Rice-Davies appear for the prosecution along with known prostitutes. Keeler and Rice-Davies deny they are prostitutes. For the defence Ward's friends and former patients refuse to appear as character witnesses, taking their lead from Viscount Astor who has gone abroad. Profumo assures his wife that he will not be called to testify. Hollis of MI5 is untraceable. The judge during his summing up to the jury receives the news that Lucky Gordon has been released pending an appeal due to possible perjury by Keeler, and informs the jury. Ward realises as the judge said he is abandoned and alone. That evening at home while awaiting the jury's verdict he writes a series of letters while taking sleeping tablets and drinking alcohol.
6 "Episode 6" Leanne Whelham Amanda Coe 26 January 2020 5.85
Ward is found unconscious and rushed to hospital. In his absence he is found guilty on two counts of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and Rice-Davies. Ward dies without regaining consciousness. Keeler is arrested for perjury and obstructing justice. Keeler employs a sympathetic barrister, Jeremy Hutchinson, who believes he can get her a suspended sentence if she pleads guilty to two charges. Colin Keeler, her estranged father, returns into her life. Keeler is found guilty and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment. Profumo finds employment that lasted thirty years as a volunteer for a charity, and he and his wife never speak publicly again about Keeler. Rice-Davies makes a pop record and moves to Israel. On release from prison Keeler returns to live with her mother in the house she bought for her, reminiscing by returning to Ward's home and a nightclub she used to frequent.

Release

Keshet International handled the distribution rights internationally, with Endeavor Content in the United States.

Reception

The show received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Though its non-linear plotting distracts, The Trial of Christine Keeler remains an engaging -- if somewhat redundant -- lesson in history carried by the strength of its performers." Writing in the Radio Times, Paul Kirkley gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, saying: "In an age where politicians appear increasingly bulletproof in the face of scandal, there was a danger that The Trial of Christine Keeler's sexual and political shenanigans might look tame in comparison. But there's something about the characters in this particular drama that, [...] makes the story as compelling today as it was to the people following every twist and turn in the headlines six decades ago."

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian also gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "The Trial [...] remains a furiously fast, fun ride which doesn't let the deeper, darker issues fall from its grasp." However, Peter Crawley ended his review in The Irish Times by saying: "Keeler, who we see at one point playing around with a handgun in her knickers, is more armed and dangerous than just a pretty, vapid bystander, we are meant to understand. But when we later see a tabloid headline that helped thrust her into public consciousness with the words, "Model in Shooting Drama", you have to wonder, amid all the glam and gloss that surrounds her, how much deeper is the series?"