A Very English Scandal, Russell T Davies’ upcoming BBC One drama telling the story of Jeremy Thorpe, has cast a quintessentially English actor in its lead role.

Thorpe was a high-profile politician – leader of the Liberal Party and the youngest person to lead a UK political for more than 100 years – that was tried but acquitted of conspiring to murder his ex-lover Norman Scott in 1979. Here, he will be played by none-other than Hugh Grant, who previously played a Prime Minister in the much more irreverent affair that was Love Actually and, more recently, starred in Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins alongside Meryl Streep. 

Written by Russell T Davies and directed by My Beautiful Launderette and The Queen director, Stephen Frears, the tale will be based on insights from a bestselling book by John Preston. It will run across three 60 minutes episodes on BBC One – though there is no confirmed air date as yet.

Are you looking forward to A Very English Scandal? Let us know in the comments!