Anatomy of a Scandal is thrilling. It explores lives of a powerful British politician, his wife and a woman he allegedly assaulted. Themes of power, consent and betrayal run deep. Scandal unfolds, showing how it wrecks lives. Relationships get messy fast. One moment, everything is fine. Next, everything is torn apart. It’s a wild ride.

Meet the characters from Anatomy of a Scandal

Sophie Whitehouse

Okay, Sophie is… wow, complicated in the best way — fragile on the surface but with this stubborn core that won’t shut up, even when everyone expects her to. She’s the kind of person who smiles politely at dinner parties and then quietly rewrites the rules later, like she’s secretly been taking notes on everyone. There’s a real sadness mixed with this fierce, accidental bravery — also, I’m pretty sure she has a mug with a cat on it that she pretends not to own, but totally does. Sometimes she seems almost too composed and then snaps into these raw, very human moments that make you forget she ever tried to be the “perfect” wife.

Kate Woodcroft

Kate is textbook sharp — razor-brained, unbelievably controlled, and kind of frightening if she looks at you too long. You get this whole “I’ve read the law and your life” energy, and she’ll slice through nonsense while wearing a perfectly tailored suit, probably with a pen she never forgets. She’s also quietly messy in real life — like, brilliant courtroom armor but comes home and can’t find her keys for days, which is adorable and infuriating at once. There’s a moral seriousness to her that sometimes tips into self-righteousness, but she’s also human and backslides, which makes her more interesting than the “ideal barrister” poster.

James Whitehouse

James is the slippery, charming center — polished smile, photo-ready politics, the sort of person who could sell you a policy and convince you it’s a love letter. He has this effortless entitlement about him, but then there are these odd smallnesses, like he collects vintage ties or hums off-key when he’s nervous, which somehow makes him creepier? He’s charismatic and sociable and the room lights up when he walks in, but you never quite trust what he says — and that’s the delightful, maddening tension. On paper he’s the model MP, in practice he’s a walking contradiction: warm in public, very not in private.

Olivia Lytton

Olivia feels young and furious and hungry, like someone who drinks too much instant coffee and thinks in sharp little essays. She’s brave in a weird, stubborn way — very on to things, asks the wrong questions at the right time, and then can’t help but follow them through. There’s a creative streak too; she’ll fix a broken playlist for you or sketch an absurd portrait of your face in five seconds flat, then deny she’s doing it. Sometimes she’s painfully idealistic and other times she’s cold as ice, which is part of her charm and also a tiny betrayal of your sympathies.

Angela Regan

Angela is the loud, loyal friend you want at your back in a brawl and also the one who’ll bring you tea at 3 a.m. with an eye roll and a biscuit. She’s grounded, hilarious, a little salty, and absolutely not here for nonsense — but also has this soft spot for sentimental junk like handwritten notes or battered cushions. She tells it like it is which is refreshing, though she’ll also get unexpectedly sentimental about tiny things (one minute tough, next minute crying over a dog food advert, don’t ask). Honestly she’s the human heart of the mess: practical, fierce, and weirdly sentimental.

Tom Southern

Tom gives “eager younger political type” but with leftover guilt and a conscience that pops up at the worst times. He’s the kind of aide who fumbles with his words around power but then suddenly makes a very sharp, oddly humane point — very inconsistent, in a good dramatic way. He’s ambitious, yes, but also oddly sincere; like he wants to do the right thing and keeps Googling “what is the right thing” at 2 a.m. He also has weirdly specific hobbies — probably canoeing? — and will defend them passionately and with embarrassing enthusiasm.