At the London premiere for new TV series Outrageous, the Mitford sisters – the stars of the show, and very real members of British aristocracy back in the 1930s – were very quickly described during a Q&A as “the Kardashians of their generation”.
And while the series takes a look at the lead up to WW2, therefore very much set in the early 20th century, there's something very modern and knowing about the story of the Mitford sisters, for a range of reasons.
First of all, the sisters' controversial antics (ranging from marrying a fascist to being imprisoned during WW2 for being an enemy of the state or running off with Winston Churchill's nephew to fight alongside fellow communists in the Spanish Civil war) made them socialites, splashed all over the press at the time, making comparisons to the Kardashian sisters completely undeniable.
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Secondly, the well-known radicalisation of two of the sisters in particular feels very topical right now, as both national and global politics are leaning increasingly towards far-right sympathies and attitudes, with stories of radicalisation in 2025 experiencing a considerable uptick.
The series – based on Mary S Lovell's biography The Mitford Girls – sees Mitford sisters Diana (Joanna Vanderham) and Unity (Shannon Watson) travel to Germany for the Nuremberg rallies, so taken with and invested in Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists and its alignment with Hitler and Nazism. A rather poignant moment in the first episode hits when Mosley (Joshua Sasse) makes a rising speech about “making Britain great again”.
Sound familiar? If not for the similarities between it and Donald Trump's mantra, and the portrayal of Mosley in the final series of Peaky Blinders by Sam Claflin – with Amber Anderson playing Diana Mitford – the parallels between far-right political leanings during the pre-WW2 and era now feel closer than they should.
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You only have to look to the hard-hitting impact of Netflix series Adolescence and its close look at the radicalisation of young men and the polarising political times we are living through to see that the Mitford sisters' world doesn't feel completely different to the one we are living in.
So what better time could there be than now to revisit this chapter in history? Bridgerton's Bessie Carter (Imelda Staunton's daughter no less, they're currently starring in a play together) stars as the eldest Mitford sister Nancy, who is the narrator of the series, no less because she's the writer (or mocked “female hack”) of the family.
We see Nancy and her sisters contend with the British “marriage market”, much like the characters of Bridgerton – but the themes of the series take a darker turn. The Mitford family is facing financial ruin, intensifying the pressure on the sisters to “find a husband”, but also causing them to ask more existential questions about their place in the world as both the national and international landscape shifts around them.
Nancy also gives us Bridget Jones vibes, particularly when she describes her own horror at being “penniless and still a virgin at 28”. Her partner Hamish leaves her for the States and better prospects, and she is left wondering how much longer she has before she is considered a spinster. Diana, meanwhile, is bored in her marriage and is seduced by Mosley and his vision for Britain and the passion he brings out in her.
While the sisters are told that education is not for them as women, many of them lean towards activism and creativity to express themselves and find their power – with some devastating results. Unity becomes “the most hated woman in Britain” for defending Hitler and became one of his confidantes. It's a fascinating, ultimately frightening story of radicalisation, a cautionary tale set in a time where women were grappling for identity and purpose, which sent them down a sinister path.
Outrageous cast
Alongside Bessie, some amazing talent will appear in the Outrageous cast including Joanna Vanderham, What It Feels Like For A Girl star Calam Lynch, Joshua Sasse, Anna Chancellor, James Purefoy, Will Attenborough, Zoe Brough, Shannon Watson, Isobel Jesper Jones, Toby Regbo and Orla Hill.
Outrageous release date
Outrageous is available on U and U&Drama from Thursday 19 June.
Outrageous trailer
Watch below for a taster of Outrageous, where we meet the Mitford sisters and their stories.
Will there be an Outrageous season 2?
While it hasn't been confirmed, Diana actor Joanna Vanderham hinted at the need for one during the premiere. So we hope it's only a matter of time before Outrageous is renewed for a second chapter.
