'Outrageous' Will Be a Summer Shock to the System

The interwar period was a time of massive social change in England, as the Great War swept through with technological marvels and a greater chance at equality than ever before, even as the aristocratic families that once ruled the social world went bankrupt. It was also the dawn of celebrity culture, as the antics of those who belonged to the upper classes and were raised with more money than sense became fodder for newspaper sales. However, there was one wealthy, privileged family that stood head and shoulders above the rest: the Mitfords, who are the subject of BritBox's next limited series, Outrageous.

The Mitfords boasted a pedigree that ran directly back to the Norman Conquests, and the family's residences have names like Mitford Castle, Mitford Old Manor House, and Mitford Hall, all located in (you guessed it) Mitford, Northumberland. But though the lineage was certainly helpful in confirming their bona fides, the real reason the Mitfords were celebrities is that David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife, Sydney Bowles, had seven children, six of whom were girls, and all of whom ran wild. At one time, their names were as well-known as the Kardashian-Jenner clan. A century later, only the eldest, author Nancy Mitford, is remembered for semi-autobiographical works, like The Pursuit of Love.

However, in their prime, all the Mitford siblings were recognized figures, and each had a nickname given to them by the press:

• Nancy the Novelist: A socialist divorcee wallflower of the Bright Young Things social scene.
• Pamela the Rural Mitford: The LGBTQ+ sibling of the family, she stayed out of the public eye more than the rest.
• Tom the Lone Brother: A fascist who refused to serve in WWII, he was sent to Burma and KIA.
• Diana the Fascist: She married into the Guinness family, and then divorced to marry British fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
• Unity the Hitler-Lover: Not to be outdone, Unity was besties with Hitler and the Nazi inner circle.
• Jessica the Communist: The only leftist in the family, she eloped to join the Spanish Civil War before moving to New York City.
• Deborah the Duchess: The youngest Mitford married the 11th Duke of Devonshire and helped rescue the iconic Chatsworth Estate from financial insolvency. 

Here's the limited series synopsis:

Based on the true story of the Mitford sisters, who lived by their own rules – with sometimes devastating consequences. Set against the gathering storm clouds of the 1930s, Outrageous is inspired by the lives of the aristocratic Mitford sisters - six headstrong women who frequently made headlines around the world. Yet their lives would ultimately take very different paths – from Nancy, who became a celebrated author and journalist, to Jessica, who rejected her inherited privilege and dedicated her life to revolutionary causes. A family saga like no other, this is the Mitfords as they really were: unapologetic, outrageous, and utterly human.

Bessie Carter (Bridgerton') stars as eldest Nancy Mitford; her siblings will be played by (in order by birth): Isobel Jesper Jones (The Serpent Queen) as Pamela; Toby Regbo (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) as brother Tom; Joanna Vanderham (Crime) as middle sibling Diana; Shannon Watson (The Jetty) as Unity, Zoe Brough (Father Brown) as Jessica; and Orla Hill (Stonehouse) as youngest sibling Deborah. 

Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane) and James Purefoy (The Veil) play their parents, Sydney Bowles and David Freeman-Mitford, referred to as "Muv" and "Farve." The series also features Jamie Blackley (Becoming Elizabeth), James Musgrave (Death in Paradise), Calam Lynch (Archie), Will Attenborough (The Hollow Crown), and Joshua Sasse (Galavant) as the various men in the sisters' lives.

Sarah Williams (Flesh & Blood) penned all six episodes of the series, based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family.  Directors Joss Agnew (The Man Who Fell to Earth) and Ellie Heydon (Trying) split helming duties across the six episodes, with Natasha Romaniuk (The Suspect) producing. Elizabeth Kilgariff, Matthew Mosley, and Craig Hollingworth executive produce for Firebird Pictures alongside Helen Perry for UKTV and Robert Schildhouse, Jess O’Riordan & Stephen Nye for BritBox International. 

Outrageous will premiere with two episodes on BritBox on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, and will stream one episode a week to follow on Wednesdays through July.