Six-part true story of the Mitford sisters
29th November 2022 UKTV free-to-air channel Drama announces its first UKTV Original commission Outrageous (6x60), produced by Firebird Pictures, and written by Sarah Williams (Small Island, Flesh and Blood, The Long Song).
Outrageous is the true story of six sisters who refused to play by the rules and whose often-scandalous lives made headlines around the world. Set against the gathering storm clouds of the 1930s, Outrageous will bring the full, uncensored story of the Mitford sisters to the screen for the first time - a story of family betrayals, public scandal, political extremism, personal heartache and even imprisonment. Refusing to conform to a world order that was collapsing around them, the show explores how and why these women were so ahead of their time - and what drove them to take their very different, complex and often extreme paths. A family saga like no other, this is the Mitfords as they really were: unapologetic, outrageous and utterly human.
Writer Sarah Williams said,
Ive been intrigued by these notorious sisters for many years and am thrilled to finally be bringing their stories to the screen. Weve seen many fictionalised versions of their lives before, but in this familys case, the truth really is far stranger and more astonishing than anything you could invent. These six headstrong women have often been accused of being mad, bad and dangerous to know - and a couple of them were - but what they all had was the absolute courage of their convictions and to hell with the consequences. And that makes for a cracking good story.
UKTV Original series Outrageous has been commissioned by senior commissioning editor Philippa Collie Cousins with head of scripted Pete Thornton and is ordered by Drama channel director Emma Ayech. The series will be produced by Firebird Pictures, which is wholly owned by BBC Studios, and executive producers are Elizabeth Kilgarriff and Matthew Mosley. Philippa Collie Cousins will executive produce for UKTV.
UKTV senior drama commissioner Philippa Collie Cousins said,
This is an exciting piece of television. A witty, deliciously entertaining and addictive family saga, Outrageous will captivate and enthrall audiences - much like a favourite novel you just cant put down thanks to Sarah Williams clever and inciteful writing. Our aim is for each character to resonate with the audience and stay with them for a long time after the end credits.
Drama channel director Emma Ayech added,
I am delighted to announce the first original commission for Drama which is the next step in our continued ambition to be the destination channel for fans of quality British drama. Outrageous is an instantly gripping story about six fascinating and uncompromising sisters who were the celebrities of their day. Sarah Williams witty and highly engaging scripts will bring the glamour, scandal and heartache of the Mitfords world to life in a way that Dramas audiences will relish.
Firebird Pictures said
When Sarah first talked about wanting to write a show about the Mitfords, we thought that we already knew these women and the scandals and extreme politics that shaped them. But what we didnt know was the real story behind the headlines of six sisters who refused to conform and refused to compromise. Even today their stories would be considered extraordinary and we feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to get beneath the skin of these fascinating, challenging and complex women by bringing Sarahs beautiful and gripping family saga to life onscreen
Cast and crew will be announced over the coming months, with the series due to air exclusively on Drama. Production will commence next summer.
-
For more information, please contact: Gem Pinkney, Head of Consumer Comms
Notes for Editors:
Sky 143, Virgin Media 130, Freeview, YouView, TalkTalk & BT 20, Freesat 158 +1 Sky 243, Virgin Media 226, Freeview, YouView, TalkTalk & BT 60 On demand on Sky & Virgin Media
Free-to-air channel Drama is passionate about bringing Britain the best quality drama. From period to contemporary, family to comedy, the channel is a treasure trove of well-loved classics and modern drama which showcases the greatest stories ever told. With programmes including familiar favourites Call the Midwife, Pride and Prejudice, New Tricks and Silent Witness, and brand new and exclusive hits The Sister Boniface Mysteries and The Brokenwood Mysteries, this is the channel where viewers can escape and indulge in a handpicked range of the nations most celebrated TV dramas.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UKs most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the worlds leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
About Firebird Pictures
Firebird Pictures is a scripted production company set up by former BBC Executives Elizabeth Kilgarriff and Craig Holleworth in 2019. With a particular focus on character-led series, Firebird works with the best writing and directing creatives to produce high end, bold and distinctive content for UK and International audiences. With two major new series in production - Wilderness, written by Marnie Dickens and starring Jenna Coleman for Amazon Prime
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
02/06/2026
Powerful new vocal-production tool announced
Described as a vocal performance station , Klevgrand's latest plug-in combines pitch-correction with harmo...
02/06/2026
Launched alongside Go Green sale extension
McDSP have just released the latest addition to their APB line-up, DC-2 Dual Compressor, and have also announced ...
02/06/2026
Create custom tools for Ableton Live 12 Suite
Ableton have just introduced a new open JavaScript toolkit that allows anyone to create their own custom tools...
02/06/2026
Now features full H90 algorithm library
Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...
02/06/2026
Plus UAD Half Yearly Sale now live
The latest arrival to the Universal Audio range delivers a new native pitch-correction plug-in that's capable of deli...
02/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to present comprehensive performance, conformance and spectrum-m...
02/06/2026
BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification c...
02/06/2026
If you've kept up with this article series, you know by now where to start w...
02/06/2026
With new DSP configurations and flexible licensing options, Calrec is removing the barriers to virtualised audio, giving broadcasters the freedom to scale produ...
02/06/2026
02 Jun 2026
VEON Closes USD 1.4 Billion Bond Offering, Refinancing 2027 Notes A...
02/06/2026
Praise for series three:
The Times - sun-dappled pleasure
The Daily Mail - The Homes Counties' Charlie's Angels
The Sun - 4* this [is an] enjoya...
02/06/2026
Wuppertal June 2, 2026
Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel N...
02/06/2026
Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance co...
02/06/2026
June sees Ireland's cultural calendar in full bloom, as RT Supporting the Arts showcases a vibrant and wide-ranging programme spanning music, theatre, visu...
02/06/2026
After The Traitors Ireland launched in 2025, Irish audiences proved to have a taste for the global hit reality show. This Bank Holiday Monday fans can indulge e...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Luxembourg, June 1, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, launched fast and reliable multi-orbit satelli...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for hybrid and Next Gen...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Genelec announces V2.1 for Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring application posted: 29/05/2026
Aural ID 2.1 enhances binaural monitoring for stereo and ...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
A little refresh can go a long way. We've been making behind-the-scenes upda...
28/05/2026
Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Tod...
28/05/2026
New software-based MIDI multi-clock announced
Rapid Flow have just announced the launch of a new MIDI utility plug-in that aims to solve one of the most per...
28/05/2026
Company introduce most affordable interface yet
SSL's range of audio interfaces has just gained its latest, and smallest member, the SSL 1. Designed to ...
28/05/2026
New compact drum machine & sampler announced
The latest instrument from Sonicware sees the company kick off an all-new Deconstruct series with a compact dru...
28/05/2026
Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications...
28/05/2026
Comscore Announces Appointment of Matt McLaughlin as Chief Executive OfficerJon Carpenter to remain as Senior Advisor to the Board and CEO
Global business lead...
28/05/2026
Wuppertal May 28, 2026
Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage SystemsRiedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemb...
28/05/2026
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Powers Cost-Efficient 24/7 Channel Origination and Direct-to-Consumer Delivery
SAN JOSE, Calif. - M...
28/05/2026
RT presents Wild Conamara, a two-part natural history documentary that brings a...
27/05/2026
Spotify already brings together listeners' favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one place. Now, we're trialing a new format that expands the cont...
Six-part true story of the Mitford sisters
