Based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography, The Mitford Girls, Sarah Williams has written a six-part series that explores the life and times of the aristocratic sisters, which were full of family betrayals, public scandals, love, heartbreak and political extremism.

A first look sees the saga join the sisters in the turbulent 1930s, capturing the decadence of the British high society they belonged to. The series will also set out to show how and why the eccentric sisters were “ahead of their time.”

Bridgerton’s Bessie Carter stars as Nancy Mitford, the novelist whose books have been serialised by the BBC.

Joanna Vanderham (Crime) plays Diana, the fascist who infamously married the leader of the British Union of Fascists Oswald Mosley. Shannon Watson (The Jetty) plays Unity, the middle child who followed in Diana’s fascist footsteps, which led her into Nazi politics and eventually meeting Adolf Hitler.

Isobel Jesper Jones (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) is Pamela Mitford, the only sister to steer clear of the spotlight. Casualty’s Zoe Brough and Orla Hill (Stonehouse) round out the six as Jessica and Deborah, the Communist who fought in the Spanish Civil War and the apolitical sister who became a Duchess after marrying Lord Andrew Cavendish.  

Other cast include Toby Regbo (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) as the Mitfords’ brother Tom and Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane) and James Purefoy (The Veil) as their mother and father (that’s ‘Muv’ and ‘Farve’, in Mitford speak).

Joshua Sasse (Love is in the Air) will play the Oswald Mosley in Outrageous.

The Mitford sisters have popped up in popular culture for many years, including BBC serialisations of Nancy’s novels, appearances in the likes of Peaky Blinders, and, for Diana, a particularly disparaging mention in The Thick of It.

Filming for Outrageous is underway in and around Buckinghamshire. The series will air on U and U&Drama in 2025.