Making ‘A Very English Scandal’: Watch how Hugh Grant was transformed into Jeremy Thorpe

The BBC has released a video looking at Hugh Grant’s transformation in A Very English Scandal.

The darkly comic three-part period drama concluded on BBC One last night and told the true story of an illegal love affair that threatened the life of one man and the entire British establishment in 1960s England.

Grant was playing politician Jeremy Thorpe, who he describes as “a bloody character, a fascinating character.”

Watch the Bridget Jones star discuss his “Thorpe look”, which included a “gaunt” face, brown contact lenses, “the very distinctive Jeremy Thorpe hair” and “wonderful suits”:

The official synopsis reads: “It is 1960s England, homosexuality is illegal and the politician Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant) begins a whirlwind affair with a young stable hand, Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw). But when the relationship turns sour and Jeremy’s career goes from strength to strength, Norman becomes a secret that Jeremy is desperate to hide.

“In 1967, Jeremy becomes the leader of the Liberal Party and the youngest leader of any British political party in a hundred years, but as long as his ex-lover Norman is around, his brilliant career is at risk. Behind the oak-panelled doors of Parliament, Jeremy turns to his friends for decisive action. He can see only one way to silence him for good.”

Hugh Grant starred in the mini-series alongside Ben Whishaw (Spectre), Alex Jennings (The Lady in the Van), Patricia Hodge (Miranda) and Jason Watkins (W1A).