This very (very very) British miniseries is based on actual events in the 1960s and 1970s. It is well-done and has a few sad laughs but didn't really rock my world. In talking with a UK resident I realized that the challenge is context. This was a big deal in England but as an outsider who barely understands their current politics I didn't have a lot of understanding of time and place. That's not to say it wasn't good. It was entertaining and thoughtful. Questions about homosexuality and politics intertwine to make for a rather nice debate about power and its abuse, as well as how society reacts to their leaders. Hugh Grant does an excellent job sinking into the role of Jeremy Thorpe and Ben Whishaw makes for a appropriately irritating foil. The bizarre events in their decades-long fight is real, making the tale even that more darkly humorous and slightly twisted. There were minor concerns about ages. Hugh Grant is a bit long in the tooth to be playing a character 30 years his junior and Mr. Whishaw is not, in my humble opinion, aged up well enough in the latter scenes, but the overall story is told and does make a mark. Worth it if you are a fan of Downtown Abbey and the like. Those crazy Brits!
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