Is 'Anatomy of a Scandal' Based on a True Story?

Anatomy of a Scandal is streaming on Netflix now and fans of shows such as Big Little Lies, House of Cards, and Designated Survivor will not want to miss it. The six-part series stars Sienna Miller as Sophie Whitehouse and Rupert Friend as MP James Whitehouse, a wealthy couple of the British upper class who find themselves at the center of, you guessed it, a scandal

With so many true-crime shows and legal thrillers out there right now, audiences want to know everything about Anatomy of a Scandal, especially if it is based on a true story.

Newsweek has everything you need to know.

Is 'Anatomy of a Scandal' Based on a True Story?

No, Anatomy of a Scandal is not based on one true story.

The Netflix series is an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan, by Emmy-winner David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson who have been behind huge crime dramas such as Big Little Lies, Boston Legal, House of Cards, Big Sky and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Like the novel, Anatomy of a Scandal follows the story of a high-flying and upper-class couple, Sophie Whitehouse (played by Sienna Miller) and James Whitehouse MP (Rupert Friend)

However, their entire life is thrown into complete chaos when James is accused of rape by his colleague, Olivia (Naomi Scott) and prosecutor QC Kate Woodcroft (Michelle Dockery) is determined to bring him to justice.

As a political crime thriller, Anatomy of a Scandal inevitably touches on real-life issues.

For example, the show addresses male privilege, class, corruption, British politics, sexual harassment, and the #MeToo movement as the scandal unfolds.

Sarah Vaughan, who wrote the original novel, also took inspiration from real-life political events she lived through.

As a former journalist for The Guardian, Vaughan has extensive experience in covering politics to inspire her writing.

In an article for Waterstones to coincide with the launch of her novel back in 2018, Vaughan said she was inspired by real-life events, particularly Conservative Party members David Blunkett and the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

She said: "I also saw how sex scandals involving politicians broke and played out. I was in the lobby when the Home Secretary David Blunkett was exposed by the News of the World for having an affair with the publisher of the Spectator; and I saw Boris Johnson colorfully deny, and later admit to lying over, his affair with Petronella Wyatt."

She added: "It was through becoming a political correspondent that I became even more conscious of power, privilege, and entitlement—all issues at the heart of Anatomy of a Scandal."

Vaughan also shared she was with Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair on a trip to Istanbul when he learned former weapons inspector Dr. David Kelly took his own life in 2003.

Kelly's death became the subject of a government inquiry, which concluded he had ended his own life and no other parties were involved.

Vaughan also shared that other murder and sexual abuse trials influenced her fiction.

However, overall, Anatomy of a Scandal is not based on one singular true story and instead takes inspiration from lots of real-life political events. The characters in the show are also entirely fictional.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Sienna Miller who plays Sophie in the series said: "Anatomy of a scandal is a commentary on the disastrous effect of entitlement. If you look at our government, [David] Cameron and Boris Johnson, and all of them went to Eton [College], and then they all went to Oxford, and they are friends. They've been given the best education, the best leg up in life from the start. I sort of feel like they, in moments, have acted with impunity or a different set of rules for them than for everybody else."

Anatomy of a Scandal is streaming on Netflix now.