The scandal that rocked Britain

In demand on both sides of the Atlantic, it was going to take a big project to tempt the 57 year old back to the small screen.

So it is testament to the high-profile team behind A Very English Scandal that Hugh needed little persuasion to take on the role of disgraced politician Jeremy Thorpe.

“It is so up my alley,” Hugh enthuses.

“I love things which are funny and sad at the same time, which rejoice in eccentricity – the oddness of people – and I’ve become very interested in politics over the last six years, so I love that aspect of it.”

Written by the BAFTA award-winning Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, and directed by BAFTA winner Stephen Frears, the three-part BBC series is based on the book by John Preston and tells the story of the sex scandal that rocked 1970s Britain, as Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe found himself on trial for conspiracy to murder his former lover Norman Scott.

Their relationship had taken place a decade earlier, when homosexuality was still illegal and carried heavy criminal penalties.

When it turned sour, Thorpe was accused of hiring a hitman to silence Scott, and went on trial at the Old Bailey.

Finding the right actor to play the flamboyant Eton-educated politician was vital for the drama’s credibility and success, and executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins says Hugh was always their first choice.

“He is sharp, witty and intelligent, and to have him play one of the most controversial figures of British politics is utterly thrilling,” he explains.

“When I read the book, all the way through, I kept saying: ‘Hugh Grant, Hugh Grant.’ He is the quintessential British actor. And getting Hugh lifts the whole piece onto a global stage and makes it feel big and international and important.”

Hugh threw himself into the role.

“I thought everyone was going to watch it, so I panicked and read every single book on the subject and met lots of people who knew Thorpe and dug up old films, some of them out of the bowels of the BBC, that haven’t been seen for decades,” he says.

“I don’t know if it does any good, but it seemed to soothe me a bit.” And after discovering that Thorpe was an accomplished violinist, Hugh had violin lessons himself, in order to portray it on screen.

“I tried, God knows, I tried for months,” he smiles.

“The piece is a virtuoso piece. I said to my violin teacher: ‘How long would you normally have been playing before you take this on?’ And he said: ‘About 10 to 12 years.’ So I did my best, but then my children broke two violins.”

In the opening episode, Jeremy is seen with his wife and newborn son – and Hugh says those scenes were even harder to film than the violin sequence.

“That baby was only the first of about 200 quadruplets throughout the series,” he jokes.

“They were enchanting, but on a film set you have to be extraordinarily nice to children. It’s not like being at home!”

Former model Norman Scott is now 78 and the only figure from the scandal still alive.

Award-winning actor Ben Whishaw, who plays him, went along to meet him.

“I was intrigued to see what he was like,” says Ben.

“He’s a very loveable character on first meeting. Very charming, funny and clever.

“He has a specific way of talking, which you want to capture. He’s created a persona and an accent that’s quite unusual. It’s quite from that time.”

However, Ben is not convinced Scott will be happy with his portrayal.

“I’m not sure he’s the sort of person who ever would be,” he muses.

“But I wouldn’t have done the script if I’d felt Norman was being painted in a particular way. I think it’s very even-handed and does justice to Norman and his story.”

Jeremy Thorpe stood trial with three other men following a bungled attempt on Scott’s life.

After allegedly asking friends to arrange for Scott to be killed, they hired pilot Andrew Newton to do the job. In October 1975 Newton lured Scott out on to Dartmoor and shot his pet dog Rinka, only for the gun to jam, giving Scott the chance to run away.

The series covers the years 1965 to 1979, and central to the plot is Thorpe’s right-hand man Peter Bessell, played by Alex Jennings.

Bessell spent years paying Scott money to keep quiet about the affair. Alex believes it was Thorpe’s charm and charisma that made Bessell such a dedicated friend.

“I remember Jeremy Thorpe being a considerable figure when I was growing up during the 60s,” he recalls.

“I think my mum quite fancied him.

“My grandparents met him when they were on holiday; they were Labour party supporters and he changed the way they voted because he was so gorgeous to them. People were charmed by him.”

Bessell was a prosecution witness at the trial, testifying in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

He famously told the court that Thorpe said of Scott: “It is no worse than shooting a sick dog.”

But Alex believes Bessell never really took it seriously. “He became disinvolved from the actual plot to kill Scott,” he says.

“He set it in motion, but I don’t think he believed it was going to happen.”