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Scotsman
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Outrageous review: This mediocre Mitford tale fails to tell us what was so Outrageous
The lives of the aristocracy during that golden period between the wars seems to fascinate TV programme makers – all the shooting parties, the balls and the flirtation with fascism exerts a strange fascination. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Watching Outrageous (U&Drama, Thurs, 9pm), however, you can't really see why. It's the story of the Mitford sisters, the famous – or infamous – sibling sorority that apparently took London society and the landed gentry by storm during the 1930s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Each of the six sisters had some sort of celebrity: Nancy was a novelist, famed for The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate; Diana was a famed beauty who left her fabulously wealthy husband for the country's leading far-right demagogue Oswald Mosley; Pamela was a noted horsewoman and fond of driving sports cars; Unity fell in love with Adolf Hitler; Jessica became a communist and ran off with her cousin; and Deborah became the Duchess of Devonshire and chatelaine of Chatsworth House. The cast of Outrageous, the new drama which tells the story of the infamous Mitford sisters (Picture: UKTV) Each had a notably picaresque life – even by the standards of the bohemian aristos of the time – with scandalous divorces, trips to the Nuremberg rallies, castles in Ireland and elopements to Spain – but very little of this comes across in Outrageous. In fact, the most outrageous thing they seem to do is lounge about in silk kimonos and headscarves in the middle of the day. We're supposed to care about these privileged creatures, but we're given precious little reason to. None seem particularly charismatic, especially given dialogue which attempts to cram in great chunks of exposition and quick character sketches as we meet yet another arrogant posho. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And why should we care about them, especially Diana and Unity, who didn't so much flirt with fascism as take it to bed for a night of passion. Joanna Vanderham plays Diana Mitford in the new series Outrageous, which airs on U&Drama on Thursdays (Picture: UKTV) At times, the programme attempts to give some reason for their lurch to the far right, such as widespread economic hardship and industrial unrest, but that rarely impinges on to the sisters' lives beyond a few banners in passing. Diana is supposed to be infatuated with Mosley, but he comes across as a boring blowhard no one in their right mind would fancy, while Unity's obsession with Hitler is painted as a teenage crush. I mean, these people weren't merely outrageous, they were just horrible anti-semites. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is a charitable reading of all this putative outrageousness – that the sisters were kicking against the limited future societal norms had planned for them, as daughters of hard-up minor aristocracy. Nancy Mitford (Bessie Carter) contemplates life in bohemian 1930s London in the new U&Drama series Outrageous (Picture: UKTV) Their mother, 'Muv' (Anna Chancellor) tells warring sisters Jessica and Unity: 'Can't you see that if you don't start behaving properly you're going to end up as penniless old maids? 'You need to start thinking of yourselves as women. As wives and housekeepers, as mothers. These are incredibly important roles. Roles you were made for. I guess faced with those constrictions, anyone with a modicum of gumption would attempt to kick over the traces. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But when financial hardship means 'letting out the London house', but still having a pied a terre in the capital, when no one seems to need a job, when you can live in varying degrees of bohemian luxury, rebellion seems unnecessary. And far from taking a stand for women, these sisters seem unhealthily defined by the men in their lives – Diana by Mosley, Unity by Hitler, even firebrand Nancy moons over some weak-chinned deadbeat called Hamish, and Outrageous can offer no earthly reason for it. If you didn't constantly refer to the internet, the average viewer – including me – would have very little clue why the Mitford clan should be so celebrated. Far from being Outrageous, this latest ode to aristocracy is mediocre and, frankly, infuriating.
Cosmopolitan
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Who were the Mitford sisters? The unbelievable true story behind Outrageous
You've probably seen lots of people talking about the new drama series outrageous airing this week. Coming to UKTV's in the UK and BritBox in North America, the TV series tells the story of six different sisters in the 1930s, who refused to play by the rules, often resulting in betrayal, scandal, heartache, and even imprisonment. It stars Bridgerton's Bessie Carter as Nancy Mitford, the eldest of the Mitford siblings, Anna Chancellor as matriarch Sydney Bowles Mitford, James Purefoy as David Freeman-Mitford, and Joanna Vanderham as Diana Mitford, and is based on the very real, and often controversial Mitford family. During the 1930s, the six sisters attracted widespread attention for their fashionable and provocative lifestyles, as well as for their public political divisions between communism and fascism. So, who exactly were the Mitford family? Read on for everything you need to know as Outrageous airs. The Mitford family is an aristocratic British family, who became particularly well known during the 1930s due to the six Mitford sisters - daughters of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife, Sydney Bowles whom he married in 1904. Sydney was the daughter of publisher and politician Thomas Gibson Bowles, and David was the second son of Bertram, Lord Redesdale. The couple had seven children - six girls and one boy - and their family homes were Asthall Manor and Swinbrook in Oxfordshire. Played by: Bessie Carter Born 28th November 1904, Nancy was the oldest of the Mitford children. She was a writer and a keen eye observer of the upper class. She married Peter Rodd, whom she subsequently divorced, and had a longstanding relationship with French politician and statesman Gaston Palewski. Her work includes semi-biographical novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. Played by: Isobel Jesper Jones Dubbed 'woman' by her siblings, Pamela Mitford (born in 1907), married and later divorced millionaire physicist Derek Jackson. Unlike her sisters, she preferred the countryside, and spent most of the 1960s in the stables of Italy, living with the horsewoman Giuditta Tommasi. Played by: Joanna Vanderham Possibly the most scandalous of the Mitford pack, Diana (born in 1910), married aristocrat and writer Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne, in 1929. In 1933, she left him for British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, whom she married in 1936. Together, they had two sons, Alexander and Max Mosley. The couple was interned at Holloway Prison from May 1940 until November 1943. Played by: Shannon Watson Known as 'Bobo' or 'Boud' by her siblings, Unity's friendship with Adolf Hitler was well-publicised. She shot herself in the head after Britain declared war on Germany. She survived, but suffered permanent brain damage. She died of pneumococcal meningitis in 1948. Played by: Zoe Brough The rebel of the family, 'Decca' ran off to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War, before planting her roots in America. After losing her first husband in World War II, she reinvented herself as a passionate writer and committed communist. Her groundbreaking book, The American Way of Death, exposed the funeral industry. Played by: Orla Hill The youngest of the family, Deborah was nicknamed 'Nine' by Nancy, which was half an insult, half affection. She married the future Duke of Devonshire and lived a pretty quiet life at Chatsworth House, which she transformed into an empire. Unlike her sisters, she wasn't one for the limelight and kept out of the headlines. Played by: Toby Regbo The only son of the Mitford family, Tom was born in 1909 and studied at Eton. Here, he had an affair with James Lees-Milne. He later had a relationship with troubled dancer Tilly Losch, who was married at the time to British poet, Edward James. According to Jessica's letters, Thomas supported British fascism and was posted to the Burma campaign after he had refused to fight in Europe. He died in action. Outrageous airs on UKTV's free streaming service U and U&DRAMA on Thursday 19th June, and on BritBox in North America on 18th June.
South China Morning Post
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Dominic West's daughters, Martha and Dora: their brother Senan starred as a young Prince William in The Crown – but which sister acted in The Pursuit of Love with Lily James and her dad?
It's been five years since married father of two Dominic West was pictured getting intimate with his The Pursuit of Love co-star Lily James in Rome. The paparazzi shots caused a scandal, and tabloids reported that his marriage to Catherine FitzGerald was 'as good as over'. Reflecting on the ordeal last June in an interview with The Sunday Times' Culture Magazine , West talked about how the negative headlines had impacted his family. 'I hesitate to speak on my wife's behalf because it was obviously horrible, particularly for her,' he said. 'But we do joke about it sometimes … It was an absurd situation. It was deeply stressful for my wife and my kids, but there were lighter moments. That was the best that came out of it, really.' Advertisement Dominic West celebrates his 55th birthday with his daughters Martha and Dora. Photo: Instagram Then last October, the actor was pictured celebrating his 55th birthday with his two daughters, Martha, 26, and Dora, 18. Martha, whose Instagram account is private, reportedly shared the photo of the trio on her account. In the Instagram Story, the West daughters are seen hugging their dad as they sing happy birthday to him, per the Daily Mail. Here's what we know about Dominic West's two daughters, who he seems to be on good terms with despite the scandal: How many children does Dominic West have? Dominic West has five children in total. Photo: EPA-EFE The Crown actor has five children in total. Per People magazine, he shares four children – Dora, Senan, Francis and Christabel – with his wife Catherine FitzGerald. Grazia UK notes that he also shares a daughter with ex-girlfriend Polly Astor. Dominic and FitzGerald's eldest son Senan even joined his father in season five of The Crown as a young Prince William – with no prior acting experience, per People magazine. Who is Dominic West's wife?
Telegraph
26-01-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Daisy Buchanan's guide to reading your way to happiness
Books have saved my life. If it wasn't for books, I'm not sure that I'd be here. Reading has brought me comfort and hope during some of the darkest, most difficult periods of my life. I'm not especially clever or academic. I haven't read half the classics (yet). I don't have a story about how I mounted a bookcase and climbed my way out of a burning building. But I've read my way through triumph and disaster. When I was violently bullied at primary school, stories eased my anxiety, and the friends I found on the page lessened my acute feelings of loneliness. When I've had my heart broken, romantic novels have helped me to patch it back together. I've read my way through broken bones, punishing commutes, UTIs, getting fired and moving house. When I was 21, and an ex-boyfriend brought his new girlfriend to a party, I hid in the toilets with a copy of Indiscretions of Archie by PG Wodehouse until I had laughed enough to recover my composure. Last year, when my Eurostar train broke down between Paris and London, I was oblivious to the chorus of huffing and muttering because I had On my wedding day, my godmother read out a short passage from The Pursuit of Love ('She was filled with a strange, wild, unfamiliar happiness, and knew that this was love'). I'd been reading and rereading the novel since I was 12 years old. It was a beloved guest at the ceremony, a dear friend whose presence was very important to me. It had also been guiding me in my own pursuit, for my whole adult life. When things went romantically wrong for me – and they often did – Nancy Mitford's words had been the best possible balm. Then, and now, they seemed to offer joy and encouragement, just as a proper mate might. Books made me dream My School was a complicated place for me. I was good at listening and quietly following instructions – and I was anxious to please my teachers and do well. But the playground was another terrifying problem. Chubby, sensitive and intense, I was a clear target for bullies, and being around other children was overwhelming. My world felt violent and chaotic, so I turned to books – when I was lost in a story, I was guaranteed some peace. Looking back, I realise that Even though I tried to be a 'good' girl, when I was reading I could secretly rebel. At home, my parents were quite strict about what we were allowed to watch on TV – and in the '90s and Noughties, the internet was patchy, and the smartphone era was far away. But it was relatively easy to sneakily read adult books in the library. That was where I discovered At the time, I was struggling with an eating disorder. Critics of the book have claimed that Bridget's Most powerfully of all, the book's teasing tone helped me to relax, and worry less about what I was eating. Bridget never sticks to a diet and eats a lot of Milk Tray. When she finally reaches her impossible 'goal weight', she goes to a party, and everyone tells her she looks tired and terrible. It was the first time anyone had ever suggested to me that there might be more to life than trying to be as thin as possible. It was also the first book that made me feel optimistic and excited about my adult life. I didn't fantasise about finding my Mr Darcy – I wanted an 'urban family', Agnès b jeans, a flat in Borough and a glamorous job in TV. Books taught me to dream. They made me realise that I'd probably never have a perfect life, but I could look forward to an interesting one. When I was 15, I inhaled Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell, because it came free with Elle magazine – and vowed that I'd move to London as soon as I possibly could, for spliffs and boys and curries and parties. Around that time, I found a copy of Rachel's Holiday by When I picked the book up, it was with a wide-eyed, breathless curiosity about a scenario that seemed thrillingly adult and sophisticated. When I finished it, hours later, I had an unexpected insight into my own emotional state. The story is a comedy about pain, shame and big, complicated feelings. I read it every year, and every time it helps me to let go of something I've been struggling with. I finally quit drinking alcohol in 2022, after reading Rachel's Holiday 22 times in all. It's been the best friend and the kindest guidebook I could have hoped to find. Books are my drug – but they're the only drugs I've ever used that reliably leave me better than they find me. There have been periods of my life when I've struggled to read, and it's taken me a long time to understand that books can only meet us where we are. Like many people, I never read fewer books for pleasure than when I was studying English literature. There weren't many texts on my degree course that captured my imagination, and I resented the fact that I was always kept at arm's length from the novels and poems, and forced to read through the lens of dry critical theory. But every so often, something would surprise and delight me. I was thrilled when we were assigned Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos – a book about two of my favourite things, sex and gossip. I ignored the rest of the reading list and retreated into the arms of my favourite sex and gossipmongers – Jilly Cooper, Jackie Collins and Erica Jong. I fell upon Henry James and Edith Wharton with alacrity. I inhaled Alberto Moravia's The Time of Indifference – a book I'd never have discovered on my own. (This kicked off a love of Italian literature, and primed me for Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet, as well as teaching me that you might judge a book by its cover, but you don't have to judge it by its boring-sounding title.) Reading is the best possible start to the day In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, and I slowly started to make links between my behaviour and my mental health. When I was reading regularly, I felt much calmer, and life felt much easier. I loved funny books most of all, and if I needed to self-soothe, I could pick up an old favourite and fall straight into it, in the way you immediately feel at ease with a very old friend. And if I wasn't reading regularly, I struggled to maintain my appetite for books. Then, I acquired my first smartphone and discovered that I'd bought myself the ultimate 'I couldn't put it down' reading experience – one that left me feeling insatiable and agitated, with an unquenchable craving for stimulation. My relationship with work changed. Before, I'd read books on my commute, and arrived at the office feeling nourished, revived and ready for the day. After a train journey with my phone, I felt enervated and at odds with the world. There were two contradictory things at play – being intensely online made me feel as though I was falling behind. On the other hand, I was overstimulated and exhausted, as though I'd already put a shift in. When I left my job to go freelance, I realised that I didn't have a commute, but I needed to build some reading time back into my life. After a lot of trial and error, I discovered that the best time for me to read was the morning. I always wake up feeling anxious, and my brain is craving information and input. I've taught myself to reach for a book, instead of my phone. Reading gently leads my brain away from whatever it thinks it should be panicking about and forces it to focus on something sufficiently absorbing and distracting, at a more measured pace. I believe that reading anything at all, for just five or 10 minutes in the morning, is the best possible start to the day. Reading is like exercise Having interviewed hundreds of authors (my husband and I have a literary podcast, You're Booked ), I've been gratified to discover that nearly every writer is a catholic reader, with no book too grand, silly or strange to grace a shelf. My literary heroine, Jilly Cooper, told me that Middlemarch is one of her favourite comfort reads. I was delighted to discover that George Eliot has had as much of an influence on Cooper as Cooper has had on me. My morning reading habit has made me a more ambitious reader, too. I read Bleak House by tackling it as soon as I woke up, two chapters at a time. This has only been possible because I built up my reading muscles by picking up the books that have brought me uncomplicated joy. Reading in the morning has boosted my focus throughout the day; I notice that I'm more attentive, more productive and less distracted if I begin with a book. Ultimately, I think reading is a little bit like exercise. We all know it's 'good' for us, and we 'should' do it. It's easy to think of it as an earnest, worthy hobby – the kind that makes us feel guilty and resentful because it's hard to find the time for it when life is already so challenging. But, just like exercise, it can feel brilliant. It's simply a case of finding a way to do it that works for you. You might feel you ought to be working your way through the Booker shortlist, for the sake of cultural relevancy. But that might not be the best course of action if you're feeling lost and low – rereading The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole might be more restorative. If you're muddling your way through a dense political biography, and you want to pick up your phone after every two paragraphs, try picking up a different book instead. (Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels could satisfy an urge for political gossip.) Reading shouldn't feel hard – but nurturing a reading habit will make our lives easier, calmer and happier. Read Yourself Happy: How To Use Books To Ease Your Anxiety, by Daisy Buchanan, is published by on February 6
