The Profumo affair

The 1960s scandal involving Conservative cabinet minister John ‘Jack’ Profumo and teenage showgirl Christine Keeler was a significant episode in 20th century British political history. It led to to jail sentences, suicide and the fall of a government. Read everything you need to know about the events behind the new BBC drama here

John Profumo in October 1962

Sex, lies and spies: the real history of the Profumo Affair

Programme Name: The Trial of Christine Keeler - TX: n/a - Episode: Ep 2 (No. 2) - Picture Shows: Stephen Ward (JAMES NORTON) - (C) Ecosse Films - Photographer: Joss Barratt

“Somewhere in between exploitation and empowerment”: James Norton on society osteopath Stephen Ward

The Trial of Christine Keeler. (Photo by BBC)

Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies: the women at the heart of the Profumo Affair

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Mandy Rice-Davies (left) and Christine Keeler

Notes on a scandal: revisiting the Profumo Affair . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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30th June 1963: Some of the many hundreds of supporters of the CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) and the Committee of 100 waiting outside Birch Grove, the country home of British prime minister Harold Macmillan, where he and American president John F Kennedy are having weekend talks. (Photo by Kent Gavin/Keystone/Getty Images)

Peter Hennessy on Britain in transition . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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1960s model. (Photo by Alamy)

Women in the 1960s . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Beatles perform onstage at the Cavern Club, Liverpool in February 1961. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

History explorer: the swinging sixties . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.