It’s ‘Outragious’ for UKTV

Filming has begun on Outrageous a six-part series about the Mitford sisters, with a cast including Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham, Anna Chancellor and James Purefoy, which will air in 2025.

The brand-new drama, created and written by Sarah Williams (Small Island, Flesh and Blood, The Long Song), and based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography The Mitford Girls, is made by Firebird Pictures and has been co-commissioned by UKTV and BritBox International (for North America).

Outrageous is the story of six aristocratic sisters who refused to play by the rules, their often-scandalous lives making headlines around the world. Set against the gathering storm clouds of the 1930s, masked by the decadence, frivolity and lavishness of British high society, Outrageous will bring the full, uncensored story of the Mitford sisters to the screen for the first time – a story of family bonds and betrayals, public scandal, political extremism, love, heartache and even imprisonment.

The show explores how and why these women, unwilling to conform, were so ahead of their time – and what drove them to take their very different, complex and often dangerous paths. A family saga like no other, this is the Mitfords as they really were: unapologetic, outrageous and utterly human.

Bessie Carter is set to star as Nancy Mitford, alongside Joanna Vanderham as Diana Mitford, Shannon Watson as Unity Mitford, Zoe Brough as Jessica Mitford, Orla Hill as Deborah Mitford and Isobel Jesper Jones as Pamela Mitford. Their brother Tom will be played by Toby Regbo, with Anna Chancellor and James Purefoy at the top of the family tree as Muv and Farve.

Other cast will include Joshua Sasse as Oswald Mosley, Jamie Blackley as Peter Rodd, James Musgrave as Hamish Erskine, Calam Lynch as Bryan Guinness and Will Attenborough as Joss.

Helen Perry, head of drama for UKTV:

“Mad, bad and dangerous to know, the story of the Mitfords is based on fact stranger than fiction and is awash with contemporary resonance. With Outrageous, Firebird and Sarah Williams have created a uniquely bold period drama, which doesn’t shy away from the horrors of the time, yet offers us a chance to know these scandalous women who defied the world and tore themselves apart in the process.”

Emma Ayech, channel director for Drama added: “Outrageous is an instantly gripping story about six fascinating and uncompromising sisters who were celebrities of their day. Sarah Williams’ witty and highly engaging scripts will bring the glamour, scandal and heartache of the Mitfords’ world to life in a way that Drama’s audiences will relish.”

Outrageous is a UKTV and BritBox International Original commission and will air on U&DRAMA and U in 2025.