The Trial of Christine Keeler

This doesn't have the wit and verve of that production [A Very English Scandal], but it does have two terrific actors in the roles of Keeler (Sophie Cookson is magnetic) and Mandy Rice-Davies (Ellie Bamber, recently Cosette in Les Misérables). ... I did like much of Amanda Coe's script, which dropped occasional gems and evoked the dry wit of Rice-Davies.

If The Trial doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of last year’s A Very English Scandal, about the 70s equivalent of Keeler and its fallout, it remains a furiously fast, fun ride which doesn’t let the deeper, darker issues fall from its grasp.

If only more of this show had the visual and narrative daring to take what it posits as a Trial of the Decade and push beyond what’s a matter of public record. But as it is, it still harnesses the innate momentum of the scandal that preceded it and spins a tale that becomes a canvas for whatever you want to bring to help fill in.

With six hour-long episodes to play with, The Trial of Christine Keeler has space to develop its characters beyond the headlines, and for Coe to tease out subtexts about racism, sexism, and nuclear anxiety alongside the central theme of powerful men abusing their positions.