‘The Trial of Christine Keeler’: Trailer and start date for BBC’s ’60s scandal drama

The first trailer has arrived for The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Based on one of the most infamous British true life stories, the BBC’s new period drama explores the chain of events in the 1960s which became known as the Profumo affair.

The Trial of Christine Keeler follows the cover-up of an affair between a British Minister and model Christine Keeler as the scandal threatens to bring down the government.

Written by award-winning novelist and screenwriter Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard), the six-part series will be airing on Sunday nights at 9pm from 29th December on BBC One in the UK.

The brilliant cast includes James Norton (Grantchester) as Stephen Ward and Sophie Cookson (Kingsman) as Christine Keeler.

They’ll be joined by Ellie Bamber (Les Miserables) as Mandy Rice-Davies, Ben Miles (The Crown) as John Profumo, Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) as Valerie Profumo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) as Johnny Edgecombe, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) as Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.

The official synopsis reads: “At the centre of the storm was 19-year-old Christine Keeler – a young woman whom the powerful, male-dominated establishment sought to silence and exploit, but who refused to play by their rules.”

Watch the trailer:

 

Executive producer Kate Triggs previously commented: “In 1963 Britain changed irrevocably. Old certainties about class, race and sex exploded. And 19-year-old Christine Keeler was the flame that lit the touchpaper.

“This is a story about change: a story for our times. I am thrilled to be working with Amanda Coe again and to see her brilliance shine through this original commission.”

A broadcaster for The Trial of Christine Keeler in the US has not yet been confirmed, but we’d expect it to air at some point in 2020.