and Ben Miles, the drama promises to take “a fresh look at one of the most infamous British stories,” giving us new insight into the chain of events which came to be known as the Profumo affair.will take us “behind the headlines to tell a human story about the sexual and cultural politics of one of the most revealing and iconic stories of modern times”.
The six-part drama will follow Keeler, who at the time was working as a topless showgirl at Murray’s Cabaret Club in Soho. There, she met the English osteopath and artist Stephen Ward, who later introduced her to the then secretary of state for war John Profumo. Although Profumo was married to Valerie Jobson, he and Keeler began a brief sexual relationship.
However, there was one detail which stayed underwraps until the scandal came out later: Ward had also introduced Keeler to Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet naval attaché, and there were rumours that Keeler had simultaneously been involved with both Ivanov and Profumo.
The impact on Keeler’s life was, unsurprisingly, huge; she was subject to harsh and intense scrutiny as the Profumo affair was revealed. And while the powerful, patriarchal establishment sought to silence Keeler, she refused to play by its rules.Sophie Cookson, who is playing Keeler, said: “I am delighted to be playing Christine Keeler in this new drama. Amanda Coe has written an illuminating script about a vivid, complex woman who has previously, it seems, been reduced and misunderstood.
Sophie Cookson will star as Christine Keeler in the six-part drama. The actor has previously been seen in the 2014 film