UKTV today releases a selection of first look images for the upcoming U&Original series, Outrageous (6x60’) on U and U&DRAMA. The brand-new drama, created and written by Sarah Williams (Small Island, Flesh and Blood, Long Song), and produced by Firebird Pictures, is based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography, The Mitford Girls. The series is a co-commission by UKTV and BritBox International and will premiere in 2025.
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(Bridgerton, I Hate Suzie) stars as Nancy Mitford, alongside Joanna Vanderham (Crime, The Control Room) as Diana Mitford, Isobel Jesper Jones (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, The Serpent Queen) as Pamela Mitford and introducing Shannon Watson (The Jetty, Say Nothing) as Unity Mitford, Zoe Brough (Casualty) as Jessica Mitford and Orla Hill (Stonehouse, A Confession) as Deborah Mitford. Their brother Tom will be played by Toby Regbo (Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Platform 7), with Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane, Trust) and James Purefoy (The Veil, Malpractice) at the top of the family tree as Muv and Farve.
Other cast will include Joshua Sasse (Love is in the Air, Galavant) as Oswald Mosley, Jamie Blackley (Becoming Elizabeth, The Last Kingdom) as Peter Rodd, James Musgrave (Einstein and the Bomb) as Hamish Erskine, Calam Lynch (Bridgerton, Archie) as Bryan Guinness and Will Attenborough (Our Girl, The Hollow Crown) as Joss.
The series is produced by Firebird Pictures, one of BBC Studios’ owned production labels, and executive producers are Elizabeth Kilgarriff, Matthew Mosley and Craig Holleworth. Helen Perry is executive producer for UKTV; Robert Schildhouse, Jess O’Riordan, and Stephen Nye are executive producers for BritBox International. Directors for the series are Joss Agnew (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Vigil) and Ellie Heydon (Trying), with Natasha Romaniuk (The Suspect, Fifteen-Love) as producer.BBC Studios brokered the co-commission with BritBox International and UKTV are handling additional global distribution. Filming is currently taking place in and around Buckinghamshire.
Outrageous will air on U and U&DRAMA in 2025.
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Phelps, Publicity Manager, UKTV
Notes for Editors:
About Drama
Sky 143, Virgin Media 130, Freeview 20, Freesat 158
+1 Sky 243, Virgin Media 226, Freeview, 60
On demand on Sky, Virgin Media & U
Free-to-air channel U&DRAMA is passionate about bringing Britain the best quality drama. From period to contemporary, family to comedy, the channel provides an abundance of well-loved classics and modern drama with stories for viewers to fully immerse themselves in.
With programmes including familiar favourites Call the Midwife, The Bill, New Tricks and Silent Witness, and brand new and exclusive hits Sister Boniface Mysteries, Whitstable Pearl and Signora Volpe, this is the channel where viewers can escape and indulge in a handpicked range of the nation's most celebrated TV dramas.
U&DRAMA also offers a charming collection of U&Originals, with the TV adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s hit novel The Marlow Murder Club starring Samantha Bond, Jo Martin, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew, and the true story of the Mitford sisters in Outrageous, starring Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham, James Purefoy and Anna Chancellor. Viewers will get the chance to delve back into the world of Bergerac in a brand-new re-imagined series written by Toby Whithouse and starring Damien Molony in the leading role. Content can also be streamed for free on U.
About U
U is UKTV’s free streaming service, providing instant access to shows from UKTV's free-to-air channels – U&Dave, U&DRAMA U&W and U&YESTERDAY. Viewers can browse 8,500 hours of programming – including exclusive content, award-winning originals, premiere acquisitions and iconic BBC programmes across drama, (Whitstable Pearl, Marlow Murder Club, Annika, Sister Boniface Mysteries, Sons of Anarchy, Mike, Madam Secretary, A Million Little Things, The Shield, The Bill, Classic EastEnders, Holby City plus upcoming series in 2025 such as Bergerac and Outrageous), comedy (Meet the Richardsons, Red Dwarf, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, We Are Not Alone, Rosie Jones’s Comedy Disability Extravaganza),entertainment (Battle in the Box, Big Zuu's Big Eats, David Mitchell's Outsiders, QI, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, World's Most Dangerous Roads), and factual entertainment (Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, MasterChef Australia, Katie Piper: Jailhouse Mums, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Secrets of the London Underground, Bangers & Cash, Orlando Bloom: To The Edge). U is available through the U app via computer, tablet or smart phone, or on television with Freeview Play, Amazon Fire TV, YouView, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Freesat, NOW and Roku. u.co.uk
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, Gold, Alibi and Eden - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview and Freesat; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform. UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media. UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. The broadcaster is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
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BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix.Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.