2 days ago
Nazi-obsessed Mitford sisters ‘were modern and progressive'
The Mitford sisters have been described as 'modern and progressive women' by an actress playing one of them in an upcoming series.
Bessie Carter, who has appeared in Bridgerton, plays Nancy, the eldest Mitford sister, in the historical drama Outrageous, which airs next week.
She said the sisters – two of whom had a fascination with Nazism – 'refused to conform'.
She told the Radio Times: 'They were definitely women who didn't want to just do the debutante balls. They wanted to work and to exercise their brains.
'The Mitfords were modern women, they were really progressive. They always asked, 'Why can't I do that?''
The six sisters – Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah – were born to Lord and Lady Redesdale and experienced an upbringing steeped in eccentricity.
They were constantly in the headlines, and Unity in particular scandalised British society by her closeness with Adolf Hitler.
She was known as the 'English girlfriend' of the Fuhrer and fawned over the man who threatened her country's liberty.
In January, the discovery of the 1930s socialite's long-lost diaries revealed the extent of her infatuation.
The diaries appear to show that Unity, whose father was a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill's wife Clementine, met Hitler almost 140 times – sometimes alone, raising the prospect of a sexual relationship between the pair.
Diana also scandalised society when she left her husband, the Guinness heir, to marry Sir Oswald Mosley, the British fascist leader with whom she had been having an affair.
Threat to national security
She was imprisoned at Holloway prison during the Second World War for being considered a danger to national security.
The family's exploits have inspired books and films and will now be depicted in Outrageous.
Carter added of the six women who will be portrayed: 'What we do in the show is look at those early years when they're about to step out into the world and make their mark.
'They're refusing to conform to what was expected of them at the time, which was to be wives and mothers.'
She explained: 'Outrageous is looking at these six sisters and wondering how long a family will hold together. And at what point do you have to confront hard truths and face your differences?
'That's relevant today, isn't it? We probably all have a family member who politically is in a different place. How do we deal with that?'
Joanna Vanderham, who plays Diana in the new show, added: 'Nancy told on Diana. She informed Churchill that Diana was a threat to national security and had her imprisoned. Who does that to their own sister?'
She said: 'The Mitfords were mad! I feel that people will go, 'That wouldn't have happened.' Then they'll Google it and realise it did. The Mitfords were outrageous. The title is absolutely justified.'
