Outrageous Season 1 (2025)

Review

Outrageous is a British historical drama television series that premiered on 18 June 2025 on Britbox (US) and on 19 June 2025 on U&DRAMA (UK). Based on the biography by Mary S. Lovell, The Mitford Girls, it tells the story of the six Mitford sisters who scandalised society in the 1930s with their antics and political affliliations. The story is told from the point of view of the eldest sister, Nancy Mitford, who was a novelist, biographer, and journalist, so the tone is satirical from the outset but it darkens as the family is beset by misfortune.

In the first episode, The Gathering Storm, the Mitford sisters are enjoying a beautiful summer’s day by the pool as Nancy introduces us to her sisters and their various partners. Nancy’s dry wit sets the tone for the series as she points out the flaws in her family and the bad decisions they make along the way. Nancy’s narration is also used as a tool to signpost forthcoming disasters which keeps the viewer hooked. Although Nancy makes astute observations about the lives of her sisters, she seems more blinkered when it it come to her own love life and is waiting in vain for a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Hamish, totally oblivious to the fact that he is gay. When Hamish disappears to the United States, Nancy accepts the first marriage proposal that comes her way and is oblivious to the fact Peter is using her.

The third daughter, Diana, becomes fixated on Oswald Mosley, a socialist politician who has decided to start his own party, and shocks everyone when she announces she is leaving her husband. Diana’s pending divorce means she has become persona non grata as far as her father is concerned and he orders his other daughters not to have anything to do with her. Expressly ignoring her father’s orders, Nancy visits Diana in London where she learns Mosley’s wife, Cynthia, has died of appendicitis but the newspapers imply she died of a broken heart and are blaming Diana. Diana is played by Joanna Vanderham who manages to capture her icy cool exterior and the fragility of the character as her life crumbles.

We also learn the Mitfords are experiencing financial problems and the sisters are shocked when their father announces a series of cost cutting measures which means their allowances will be cut. The cashflow issue means the younger girls will not have the same advantages as the older ones when making their debut but they are being awakened to the injustices of the class divide and it hardly seems to matter. The fourth daughter, Unity, joins the British Union of Fascists and becomes completely enraptured by Hitler when she and Diana to travel to Germany to hear his Nuremberg speech. Despite the lack of monetary, Unity persuades her parents to send her to finishing school in Munich where she can immerse herself in the German language and stalk Hitler.

Nancy decides to write a satire about the fascist movement in England called Wigs on the Green but she worries over how Diana will perceive it so she decides to attend one of Mosley’s rallies as research. Nancy offers to let Diana read the rough drafts but she declines as she is sure Nancy will understand more after the rally. However, the rally descends into violence as protestors clash with fascist supporters. Mosley is appalled by the book and orders Diana to tell her sister to abandon it but Nancy says that is not possible as she needs the money. Nancy admits she doesn’t like Mosley and Diana tells her sister she has more faith in Mosley than her and leaves. The book causes an enormous rift in the family which fractures Nancy’s relationship with more than one of her sisters.

As the series progresses, the younger sisters, Jessica and Deborah finally get something to do. Jessica steals money out of the church collection at the Easter service to add to her running away fund and she tells Deborah that her mission is to solve the disparity between those who have too much and those who have nothing. Deborah meets Derek Jackson while out riding and she seems quite taken with him to the extent she starts experimenting with lipstick. Deborah tells her older sister, Pamela, about Derek and invites her along on their date as Derek has expressed an interest in meeting her. While Pamela and Derek seem to be constantly antagonising each other, Deborah is blindsided when they suddenly announce their intention to marry.

Things are looking bleak for the sisters as they gather at their family estate one last time before it is sold as the Mitfords have decided to sell the place to resolve their financial problems. While Jessica is counting the money in her running away jar, Unity shows her a small pistol that Hitler gave her for protection. Jessica tells her sister she is going to Spain to fight with the communists and Unity is happy for her even if they are on different sides. When Diana arrives, she and Nancy reconcile but it doesn’t last long when Nancy hears that Diana has married Mosley. As the Mitfords gather for one last photograph in the old place, the sisters have never been further apart.

The cast do a fine job of portraying the sisters and their varying storylines but it is Nancy, Diana and Unity who garner the most attention. I found it hard to distinguish between the other sisters, particularly Jessica and Deborah, the younger two who do not feature heavily until the later episodes. The identity problem is further compounded by the use of the ridiculous nicknames the family bestowed on each other and their circle of friends. The pace is slow as the various plot lines are set in motion but it picks up pace as we progress further through the turbulent years of the 1930s. I really hope there is a second season as there is so much more of the story to be told.