By Flora Carr

Published: Thursday, 17 March 2022 at 12:00 am


Big Little Lies series creator David E Kelley is swapping the sunny sands of Monterey, California, for the grey skies and shadowed corners of Westminster, London, as he takes on the task of adapting Sarah Vaughan’s bestselling book Anatomy of a Scandal.

While set in very different locations, the two books – Vaughan’s and also Big Little Lies, written by Liane Moriarty – both address the issue of sexual assault, and the trauma experienced by survivors.

Featuring an all-star cast including Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend, and Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley), the new series is already set to become the next big water-cooler drama.

In Anatomy of a Scandal, a married Westminster politician, James (Friend), is accused of raping his aide, Olivia. His wife Sophie (Miller) is convinced of her husband’s innocence, but prosecutor Kate (Dockery) is equally convinced that he’s guilty of the crime.

Read on for everything you need to know about the upcoming adaptation of Anatomy of a Scandal.

Anatomy of a Scandal release date and time

Anatomy of a Scandal will be released on Netflix on 15th April 2022 at 8am GMT.

David E Kelley (Big Little Lies) and former House Of Cards showrunner Melissa James Gibson have teamed up for the six-part Netflix adaptation.

In May 2020 it was announced that the series would be directed by S.J. Clarkson (Succession, Jessica Jones).

Anatomy of a Scandal cast

The cast for Anatomy of a Scandal has been confirmed as the following.

The three main leads have been announced: Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend.

"Rupert
Rupert Friend and Sienna Miller in Anatomy of a Scandal
Netflix

Miller plays Sophie Whitehouse, an Oxford graduate and happily married mother of two, while Friend plays her husband, the ambitious junior minister James.

Meanwhile, Kate Woodcroft, QC, will be played by Dockery. Kate is a steely criminal barrister specialising in prosecuting sexual crimes – and she’s now handling the high-profile case involving James Whitehouse.

Anatomy of a Scandal trailer 

A trailer for Anatomy of a Scandal has now been released.

Catch the clip below, which promises that “heads will roll”!