After two decades away, Hugh Grant is returning to British television in new BBC One drama A Very English Scandal.
Based on the bestselling book by John Preston, Hugh Grant will play disgraced MP Jeremy Thorpe, who in 1979 was tried but acquitted of conspiring to murder his ex-lover Norman Scott.
The three-part series has been written by Russell T Davies and will be executively produced by the man who saved EastEnders and most recently brought us Redwater, Dominic Treadwell-Collins.
A Very English Scandal is the shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy and incitement to murder.
In the late 1960s, homosexuality had only just been decriminalised, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party and the youngest leader of any British political party in a hundred years, had a secret he's desperate to hide.
As long as his ex-lover Norman Scott is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk. Thorpe schemes and deceives - until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good.
The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed society forever, illuminating the darkest secrets of the Establishment. The Thorpe affair revealed such breath-taking deceit and corruption that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true.
Speaking about casting Hugh Grant in the lead role, Treadwell-Collins said "Hugh is one our most iconic British actors - sharp, witty, deeply human and nuanced - and to have him play one of the most controversial figures of British politics is utterly thrilling.
With Russell T Davies writing and Stephen Frears directing, A Very English Scandal unites the highest level of talent to bring this extraordinary true story to life."