Latest news with #SophieCookson
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC spy thriller hailed as 'the best series about a true story in a long time' finally lands on Netflix - and viewers 'binge it all in two days'
A BBC spy thriller hailed as 'the best series about a true story in a long time' has finally landed on Netflix. The six-part programme, The Trial of Christine Keeler, reenacts the story of the 1960s Profumo affair. Sophie Cookson, 35, stars as Keeler, whose sexual liaisons with Tory Minister John Profumo and a Russian military attache, based in London, led to one of the biggest political scandals of modern times. The series originally aired on BBC One back in 2019 and has recently been added to Netflix. Fans have raved about the drama over the years, which has an impressive 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Some viewers left their thoughts on The Trial Of Christine Keeler on Google and one penned: 'Excellent depiction of a true life drama and event that had everything from high suspense and gripped the viewer from beginning to the end. 'Christine really had a sad life and paid the ultimate price by being exploited by men from a very young age, being let down by her own parents. 'It also showed that men in high office could get away with almost anything. Just kept you on the edge of your seat throughout. And superbly acted by the entire cast. 'One of the best series of a true story I have seen in a long time that I literally binge watched over two days! Brilliant.' Another added: 'I enjoyed this drama of a true event. It was to me more realistic of the event and the people involved and less of a showcase drama. 'The entire cast was superb. I have never heard of Sophie Cookson and she came across as credible and sympathetic to the memory of the real Christine.' While someone else gushed: 'Loved it . Graham Norton was excellent , in fact Casting was brilliant. Probably one of the best TV series I've viewed.' 'A gripping story, great actors and actresses. Think the story was portrayed in a good way,' one viewer said. Fans have raved about the drama over the years, which has an impressive 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes It comes after TV fans were left gripped by another show, a 'masterpiece' period drama titled The English. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, the show first hit our screens back in 2022. The revisionist Western six-part series landed on Amazon Prime Video in the US, but was also released on BBC Two for those in the UK. Although it was released three years ago, some only recently noticed the drama is available to watch on iPlayer. What was the Profumo affair? The Profumo affair had it all - sex, lies and espionage. It broke at the height of the Cold War, when spying was rife and the threat of war was imminent with the outbreak of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Here we look back at how the scandal unfolded: April 1960: At the height of the Cold War, Christine Keeler, having left her home in Wraysbury, Berks, heads for London and begins working at Murray's Cabaret Club in Soho. It is there that she meets Dr Stephen Ward, a London osteopath. Within weeks she had moved into his Bayswater flat. She soon meets Mandy Rice-Davies at Murray's and the pair become party companions. July 1961: Ward introduces 19-year-old Keeler to Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, while at a party thrown by Lord and Lady Astor at their stately home in Cliveden at Taplow, Bucks. Keeler and Profumo embark on an affair lasting only a few weeks. At the same time, she becomes involved in an affair with Commander Eugene Ivanov, a Soviet naval attaché at the Russian Embassy in London. March 1963: After months of speculation among MPs, Profumo is forced to face the Commons, where he says: 'There was no impropriety whatever in my acquaintance with Miss Keeler and I have made the statement because of what was said yesterday in the House by three honourable members whose remarks were protected by privilege.' June 1963: Ward is arrested in Watford and taken to Marylebone Police Station where he is charged with living off immoral earnings. His trial soon begins at the Old Bailey. June 5, 1963: Profumo resigns his Cabinet post after admitting lying to the House of Commons about the nature of his relationship with Keeler. August 1963: On the last day of his trial, Ward is found dead at his London home having taken an overdose of sleeping pills. December 1963: Keeler is found guilty of perjury in a related trial and imprisoned for nine months. 1989: The Profumo affair is made into a film called Scandal, starring John Hurt, Ian McKellen and Joanne Whalley.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kingsman star Sophie Cookson breaks year-long social media silence to reveal surprise new career - as she details her 'radical reset' after months of feeling 'hopeless'
Sophie Cookson has broken her social media silence after 16 months to open up about her recent 'radical reset'. The English actress, 34, announced an exciting career move as a yoga teacher as she took to her Instagram page with a lengthy message, detailing her recent life-changing journey. The Red Joan star - who is married to Claire Foy 's ex-husband and fellow actor Stephen Campbell Moore - revealed she had quit drinking and done some 'hard thinking' in her recent update. Sharing a slew of stunning snaps from her time in Bali, Sophie wrote in the heartfelt caption: 'Coming out of hibernation with thanks and maybe a dash of inspiration for anyone who's ever felt similar…. 'Radical resets for me tended to play out as excuses to be mean and self punitive. 'Rather than needing to be more of something positive, I needed to be less of something negative. Always less. Never room for growth or taking up space. 'Last year, after umming and aahing (and frankly feeling rather hopeless) I stopped drinking, did some hard thinking, bit the bullet and did something I was always ashamed I wanted, training to become a Yoga instructor. 'I was prepared to work hard, sweat and be (incredibly!) sore, but nothing prepared me for the transformative wisdom and unbound kindness I experienced. 'This is a note of love to those I met and continue to meet through Yoga, which turns out to be the most surprising, generous gift both as a practitioner and generally overwhelmed human! Sophie finished off wisely: 'Everything in yoga mirrors life and as one of my teachers says, 'We can do tricky things'. Be open and take a leap. ❤️' Her recent Instagram carousel featured bits from her time in the stunning Indonesian city, with the actress staying at the De Moksha Eco Friendly Boutique Resort - which she describes itself online as an 'awards-winning' and 'luxurious' and 'surrounded by nature'. In another shot, the The Trial of Christine Keeler lead star is captured happily fooling around with girlfriends on the beach in a white crop top and leggings. A different one, showed Sophie from behind in a bathing suit while taking the plunge. In another shot, the The Trial of Christine Keeler lead star is captured happily fooling around with girlfriends on the beach in a white crop top and leggings She also shared a make-up free selfie from the retreat - a far cry from the glamorous red carpet looks she is better known for. Her post prompted a flood of support from fans, with many praising her honesty and courage in making such life changes public, commenting below: 'Amazing my love welcome!!! One of the best things I ever did. Practice and all is coming. ❤️❤️❤️'; 'LOVE everything about this - the inspiration couldn't have come at a better time. Congratulations! ♥️♥️♥️ '; 'Congratulations, what an amazing journey. Now I need you as my teacher obviously ❤️❤️'. Ben Hur actor Stephen, 45, and the actress found love after meeting on the set of the 2018 spy drama Red Joan before the shock collapse of his marriage to The Crown star Claire - and she gave birth to his daughter two years later. Although, the happy couple have not been pictured publicly together since 2023. Sophie rose to fame in 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service alongside Colin Firth and Samuel L Jackson, and went on to star in Netflix's Gypsy, the BBC's The Trial of Christine Keeler with James Norton, and, most recently, ITV's The Confessions of Frannie Langton - in which she played Stephen's on-screen wife. Stephen and Claire, 41, who share ten-year-old daughter, Ivy Rose, divorced amicably before he began dating Sophie, but the relationship was widely reported at the time. Claire has spoken about the challenges of balancing parenting and work, telling Emmy Magazine in 2018 - when her daughter was three: 'I can't imagine anything worse than being away from my child for six months. 'You get to the point where you go, 'I'm really sorry that you feel like that and I really appreciate what you feel and I'm really sorry that Mommy had to go to work.' 'But there's an equality and an understanding that both Mommy and Daddy go to work, and we take turns and we share.'
