Fact v. Fiction: Just How Accurate Is Outrageous as a Portrait of the Mitford Sisters?
The brand-new BritBox series Outrageous is funny, fast-paced, and—to borrow a phrase from our compatriots across the pond—a cracking good time. But just how well does it hold up as a recounting of the lives of the Mitford sisters?
Diana, Jessica, Unity, Nancy, Deborah, and Pamela Mitford were six of the most talked-about women of their time, so it's natural to wonder whether all of the stories in Sarah Williams's screenplay—based on Mary S. Lovell's 2001 book The Mitford Girls—are actually taken from real life. Well, fear not; we're here to sort out all the fact vs. fiction so that you can enjoy your viewing of the first two episodes of Outrageous without constantly pulling up Wikipedia to verify just how big of a fascist Diana Mitford actually was. (Spoiler: A really big one.) Find everything you need to know about the real-life history behind Outrageous below:
Was Diana Mitford really married to one of the richest men in London?
Well, yes! Before Diana wed Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, her first husband was Bryan Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne and the Guinness family brewing fortune. Guinness was one of London's 'Bright Young Things,' a group of aristocrats and socialites given that name by the tabloids because of their penchant for partying, drinking, and drug use; and the Guinness family's net worth would have been around $983 million today, making Diana's first husband undoubtedly one of the richest and most eligible men in her peer group at the time they met.
Was Nancy Mitford's fiancé Hamish Erskine really gay?
Erskine was, indeed, as 'out' as it was possible to be in pre-WWII England, even engaging in an affair with Nancy's brother, Tom Mitford, while at Eton College. Still, he captured Nancy's heart; the male lead in Nancy's first novel, Highland Fling, is based on Erskine. 'Hamish was a perfectly ghastly character,' art historian and The Horror of Love author Lisa Hilton told the New Zealand Herald recently. 'But Nancy was still quite prim and spinsterish and I do wonder if there wasn't some sort of subliminal self-protection, because she spent so long with him. By not getting married, as her contemporaries did, very early in their 20s, she sort of preserved herself. She did have many more suitable men who wanted to marry her but she carried on with the giggling Hamish. I think that says a lot about her own sexual issues ... perhaps she didn't want to get married.'
Did hunger marchers really come to the Mitfords' doorstep?
There's no specific evidence to suggest that hunger marchers actually protested outside the Mitfords' family home (as they're seen doing in Outrageous), but known pacifist Jessica Mitford developed her keen sense of social justice early in her life, and in her 1960 autobiography Hons and Rebels, she describes the political landscape of London thusly: 'Hunger marches, at first small demonstrations, later involving populations of whole areas, were reported in the papers…Old concepts of patriotism, flag-waving, jingoism were under violent attack by the younger writers. The creed of pacifism, born of a determination to escape the horrors of a new world war, swept the youth. I responded, like many another of my generation, by becoming first a convinced pacifist, then quickly graduating to socialist ideas.'
Were Unity and Jessica Mitford really close?
It might seem surprising that Unity and Jessica were so close, given the extreme divergence in their politics, but the way they're depicted shopping, strolling, and debating serious ideas together on Outrageous is grounded in real life. Born three years apart (Unity in 1914, Jessica in 1917), the two shared a bedroom growing up, with Jessica's side decorated with hammer and sickles and pictures of Vladimir Lenin and Unity's decorated with swastikas and pictures of Adolf Hitler. However, their relationship would also be marked by periods of estrangement.
Did Unity Mitford really have a pet rat?
Apparently so, according to Lauren Young's 2022 book Hitler's Girl: The British Aristocracy and the Third Reich on the Eve of WWII, which notes that Unity 'attended balls with her pet snake, Enid, around her neck and let loose her rat, Ratular, when things got boring, which they invariably did.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Corrie star says her 'heart is broken' after she 'lost everything' in devastating fire
A former Coronation Street star has said her 'heart is broken' after her beauty business was destroyed in a devastating fire. Georgia May Foote, who played Katy Armstrong in the ITV soap, has been working as a nail technician for the last four years, and recently revealed her business was one of a number affected by a huge blaze at a storage unit in Middleton. In a post on Instagram, Georgia told fans she has 'lost everything in the fire'. She added the unit is now set for demolition, saying it is 'the hardest situation for many of us to be in' and thanking generous members of the public for their donations and messages. READ MORE: M6 traffic: Lanes CLOSED following crash READ MORE: Road closed as FIVE people rushed to hospital following crash "Unfortunately the building is now about to be demolished, my heart is broken," she wrote. "I was to first of all say how sorry I am to anyone who has lost even a single item in that fire. I can't imagine how those who have things that can't be replaced feel. I'm so sorry." The actress previously posted on the social media app sharing an appeal on behalf of others who had lost their livelihoods in the blaze. In her latest post, she continued: "I posted my last reel as an appeal to help us all get back to work as soon as possible, without us working we can't buy stock, without stock we can't work. It's the hardest situation for so many of us to be in. With our whole place of work and tools gone and families to feed and bills to pay. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE "I aimed to raise 10k not thinking for a second we would bet this support! But here we are passing 10k! "There are 12 of us affected by this who work in the beauty industry and every penny will be evenly distributed to help us get back where we were. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Georgia May Foote (@georgiamay112) "Thank you for everything that has been donated too!"She added a plea to ask people to continue donating to those who had lost businesses in the fire. "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep donating. We have all lost thousands each and this will help us so much. Links in bio! "If you have another business that has been affected from this fire and you want me to help you with your fundraisers please get in touch." Georgia shared a link to a JustGiving page where people can donate to those affected by the fire.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ezra Miller Admits Holding 'A Lot Of Regret' But Would Return To Hollywood 'On Tentative Grounds'
isn't completely done with Hollywood despite their controversial past. The "Flash" actor, who suffered a slew of legal issues in 2022 due to allegations of grooming, assault, and burglary, among others, spoke about making a comeback. Last month, Miller walked the red carpet for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival after an almost two-year hiatus away from the spotlight. In a rare interview, Miller admitted they haven't given up on returning to the big screen. Although they didn't go into details, they confirmed it would happen on "tentative grounds." The "Fantastic Beasts" actor, however, touched on their shocking resurgence at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where they attended the premiere of Lynne Ramsey's "Die, My Love." Wearing a maroon tuxedo and beret, Miller barely interacted with photographers, briskly walking past with their head down. They refused to take any photographs. "I came to Cannes to support one of my closest friends in the world, who is Lynne Ramsey—who I think is one of the greatest living filmmakers," the actor explained. They revealed a collaboration with Ramsey on an unnamed project, saying they have been "writing a lot." Without giving specifics, Miller shared that the project will "likely be the first thing I do" upon their return. While still speaking to the Italian outlet, Lo Speciale Giornale, Miller revealed they only came to the French film festival on Ramsey's request. However, it wasn't an easy thing to do. "I didn't necessarily want to go to Cannes. I had a bit of a hard time. That's a tough re-entry point." They continued, "If you've been in the woods for three years, I do not recommend going straight to Cannes, where every photographer and every weirdo, every rich genocidal freak [will] be there, you know what I mean?" Miller said they made the big sacrifice because they would do "anything" for Ramsey. Later in the interview, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" touched on their past legal troubles and erratic behavior. Miller got philosophical, giving cryptic comments to describe the difficult time. "When we go through those crucibles, if we can survive, which was up in the air for me if I'm being real, we then have that capacity to see other people in their crucibles and just to reach towards them," they told the Italian publication. The 32-year-old continued, "I think that grows more and more rarefied in our world, too. Like, the capacity to do that, the desire to do that, the willingness to do that." They also confessed to being "very consumed in notions of perception." However, they managed to dig past that by "being a friend to people." Miller further spoke about those who were supportive during their troubles, saying, "They have my lifelong devotion." However, the DCU actor also became aware of those who abandoned them during their legal controversies. Discussing the betrayal, they said: "I'm grateful for the revelations of who was not that. When you work in this industry, you'll find yourself in deep, deep relation with a lot of people who do not give a single f-ck about you, or your well-being, at all." Miller continued, "Not that I don't hold a lot of remorse and lamentation for a lot of things that I did and a lot of things that happened in that time, but I'm really, really grateful for the lessons that came with that abyss." Ezra Miller's controversies date back to 2020, when a viral video showed the actor appearing to choke a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland. Although no charges were filed, things went downhill from there, with 2022 being his worst year. It began with a series of arrests in Hawaii. On different occasions, the New Jersey native was accused of causing a scene and harassing patrons at a karaoke bar. They were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, later pleading no contest and paying a $500 fine. Barely a month later, in April 2022, Miller got in trouble again for allegedly hurling a chair at a 26-year-old woman at a private party. They were slammed with a second-degree assault charge. Come June 2022, grooming allegations were levied against the "We Need To Talk About Kevin" star. They were also accused of breaking into a Vermont home to steal alcohol. Miller finally issued an apology in August of that year via a lengthy statement. "Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment," it read. "I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior."
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kasabian star designs elephant for hospice trail
Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno has designed one of 40 giant elephants that will form an art trail in the band's home city of Leicester. Stomp Round Leicester, which supports LOROS Hospice, is due to run from 14 July to 21 September and will be the biggest public art event the city has ever seen, organisers say. Pizzorno is an artist under the name Daft-apeth when he's not singing with the indie favourites and his design will be kept secret until the trail begins. He visited the charity to meet staff and patients and said the LOROS team "make the most difficult part of your life as easy as possible. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen". "When I visited LOROS I found it simply breathtaking," he said. "From the receptionists to the physios to the healthcare assistants, everyone works to make families feel cared for and loved. "I've had family members cared for at LOROS and my elephant is a way to say thank you to everyone who works there for helping so many families like mine over the years." LOROS has worked with Wild in Art to create the trail for its 40th anniversary. At the end of the 10-week trail, the 40 Elephant sculptures will be auctioned with proceeds going to the hospice. Clare Bloomfield, from LOROS, said: "Our 5ft elephants are probably one of the bigger canvases Serge has designed. "His art is quirky and fun, and we can't wait to see where his imagination has taken him. "We're also hoping Serge's involvement will open up the trail to lots of people who show their support and make a donation to LOROS Hospice. "Serge really cares about all things Leicester and LOROS is a big part of that." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Artist paints elephant for hospice trail Elephant sculpture trail for hospice birthday LOROS Hospice
