Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • A Very English Scandal

  • Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment
  • By: John Preston
  • Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
  • Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (911 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
A Very English Scandal cover art

A Very English Scandal

By: John Preston
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.00

Buy Now for £13.00

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward cover art
The Weimar Years cover art
Damaged Goods cover art
Secrets and Lies cover art
Guy Burgess cover art
Court Number One cover art
A Lasting Impression cover art
Summary Justice cover art
The Fall of Boris Johnson cover art
Killing England cover art
The Gilded Hour cover art
Rumpole of the Bailey [Recorded Books] cover art
The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes cover art
The Winds of War cover art
A Fine Day for a Hanging cover art
Arthur & George cover art

Summary

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of A Very English Scandal by John Preston, read by Daniel Weyman.

The shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for murder.

Behind oak-panelled doors in the House of Commons, men with cut-glass accents and gold signet rings are conspiring to murder.

It's the late 1960s, and homosexuality has only just been legalised, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide. As long as Norman Scott, his beautiful, unstable lover is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk. With the help of his fellow politicians, Thorpe schemes, deceives and embezzles - until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good.

The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed our society forever: it was the moment the British public discovered the truth about its political class. Illuminating the darkest secrets of the establishment, the Thorpe affair revealed such breathtaking deceit and corruption in an entire section of British society that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true.

A Very English Scandal is an eye-opening tale of how the powerful protect their own and an extraordinary insight into the forces that shaped modern Britain.

©2016 John Preston (P)2016 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about A Very English Scandal

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    625
  • 4 Stars
    212
  • 3 Stars
    55
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    665
  • 4 Stars
    137
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    590
  • 4 Stars
    178
  • 3 Stars
    52
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb on every level

Thoroughly researched, witty, poignant and brilliantly written. Add to that the brilliant narration, replete with characterisations of the key players. Superb work and a joy to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

All Star 5*****

I’m of the age when I actually remembered this happening and now I know the truth
You know you just didn’t know just what might be going on and this highlights what was happening at the time unbelievable!!
The narrative by DW was perfect

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinatingly shocking

What an amazing story, I had no idea all this had gone on in British politics, nor any clue that it would be involving the Liberal Democrats.

The debauchery and debasement of these people who are supposed to be representatives of the populace is just horrific. No matter wether you are accepting of homosexuality or not the treatment of the young man in this book is truly awful.

The arrogance of he people involved and the complete lack of integrity is really quite shocking. Yes we all know the clichè about politicians lying, but this story reveals it goes to a whole other level.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

Hmmm, not sure if I would pay for this but OK! Long read and I did want to listen to the end, although in no rush.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping narration of a political scandal

The story told here is an excellent demonstration of the strange Jekyll and Hyde nature of a British politician, Jeremy Thorpe, in the 60s and 70s, and those who sought to save him from the extraordinary ways he had behaved

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, well narrated and full of intrigue. It was an era I grew up in, so very poignant. Well worth a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Marvellous

Thoroughly enjoyed this title.
My only quibbles are
1. Insufficient attention to the money trail.
2. Separately I would have liked a clear exposition of how JT funded his lifestyle .
3. Evidence that Bissell, the Sunday Telegraph, Cantley, Chief Prosecution Counsel and AG threw the case is missing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting yarn..

I thoroughly enjoyed this production - especially its detail and expert pace of delivery by Daniel. The story is well known but at the end it was so painfully evident that the ‘Establishment’ will stop at nothing to distance itself from any threat to its continued existence. This continues to this very day…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and compelling

I am old enough to remember this a young boy. I remember the news reports on TV about the trial. I listened to this to understand the back story and was captivated. Preston describes a sordid, rather pathetic story filled with deeply flawed characters. He adroitly avoids any sympathy for some clearly bizarre people. One is left saddened by the pantomime murder plot and the deeply disturbing establishment cover-up, which is described without hysterical rancour or melodrama.

Finely voiced, this is a superb audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Solidly brilliant

Fascinatingly written with both mischief and Elan. Already listened to it twice blah blah blah

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful