Television writer and novelist Amanda Coe’s next project will explore the UK’s notorious Profumo Affair. Per Deadline, the “Apple Tree Yard” writer-producer and Ecosse Films are bringing “The Trial of Christine Keeler” to BBC One. The new series will present the story of Keeler, a 19-year-old whose affair with Secretary of State for War John Profumo in the 1960s led to the resignations of Profumo and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
“In 1963, [Profumo] denied any impropriety in a personal statement to the House of Commons, but was forced to admit the truth a few weeks later,” Deadline summarizes. “He resigned from the government, but the repercussions severely damaged Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who resigned that same year. His Conservative Party was marked by the scandal, which may have contributed to its defeat by The Labour Party in the 1964 general election.”
Described as a “behind the headlines look at the sexual and cultural politics,” “The Trial of Christine Keeler” will present Keeler as a headstrong young woman refusing to cooperate with the men attempting to “silence and exploit” her. According to Coe, Keeler’s experience was “the Salem Witch Trial meets O.J. Simpson — a perfect storm of gender, class, race, and power that resonates into the world we’re living in today.”
“The Trial of Christine Keeler” will be executive produced by Coe, the BBC’s Lucy Richer, and Ecosse’s Kate Triggs and Douglas Rae. Production is expected to begin in 2018.
“Life in Squares,” “Room at the Top,” and the UK version of “Shameless” are among Coe’s TV writing credits. Her latest book is “Everything You Do Is Wrong,” a mystery centered on a young woman who cannot speak or remember who she is.