Ben Radcliffe, who portrays James Whitehouse in the movie Anatomy of a Scandal, got his start acting at age 10 after playing the lead role in his primary school’s production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Even back then, he knew he wanted to be an actor, but he didn’t think that it would ever become his career because he didn’t know anyone in the business at the time. Ben Radcliffe’s Anatomy of a Scandal
Table of Contents
The criminal case against Radcliffe
Ben Radcliffe is an international star for his portrayal of young James Whitehouse in The Story Of My Life. However, his career was jeopardized by his involvement in a scandal in which he allegedly copied material from other scripts for an independent film that he was producing. He says that it was just coincidence and tried to write off as accidents.
The impact on the marriage
If history is any indication, it won’t take long for Kate and James to separate. While James’ philandering didn’t become public until his affair with Natasha was exposed, rumors about his infidelity had been swirling for months leading up to their separation in 1996. The impact on their marriage was swift: Less than one year after allegations surfaced that he had been seeing Natasha, James and Kate were announcing their separation to members of Parliament.
Section 1 – Infidelity
The first part is where I was hired to make it appear that young James Whitehouse had an affair with his campaign assistant, Jessica. To do so, I dropped hints here and there about his sexuality as well as her advances towards him. These efforts were followed by an explicit encounter between them. However, he attempted to break off relations when he realized how damaging such news would be to his father’s presidential campaign.
Section 2 – Media pressure
In early 2005, The News of The World claimed that Whitehouse was having an affair with one of his aides and had offered her £500,000 to keep quiet. After publicly denying allegations, he resigned from office on 14 April. Over 1,000 people marched through Ipswich in protest at Whitehouse’s resignation. Two weeks later Peter Hain became Leader of the House while remaining Deputy Prime Minister; Clare Short was also promoted to Secretary of State for International Development.
Section 3 – A secret life revealed
Ben Radcliffe, who stars as young James Whitehouse in ITV’s The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (see main image), has told how being outed changed his life. Not that he is hiding anything any more, but even now at age 35, it’s still not easy to come out and say you are gay, especially in our society.
Section 4 – Defending his reputation in court
Ever since his affair with his secretary was revealed, James Whitehouse has been busy trying to save his career. In mid-July 2012, he was called as a witness at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Section 5 – The verdict and aftermath
When Whitehouse sat down in court and heard he was found guilty, he stood up and walked straight out. He didn’t want to hear any more about it. There were lots of things that happened with his wife, who had been sitting next to him all along. On his way back home after being released from court he saw people smiling at him as if to say hello or how are you? He did not return their greetings.
Warning Signs
It has taken a full decade for Ben Radcliffe to master his craft and master himself, but it is well worth it. This play could not be more timely or relevant as one hears about yet another day of indictments in Washington D.C. Still, even though you know where things are headed, you will find yourself unable to look away from Ben’s performance that reveals to you that there is still hope for man’s future success.
Knee-Jerk Reaction
Aspiring journalist Kate Waters thought she had it all figured out. She was happy, healthy, and had just been offered her dream job: covering George Washington University’s football team. But when she discovers that her fiancé is cheating on her with one of his students, she finds herself at a loss for what to do next. And then Ben Radcliffe enters her life…
Knee-Jerk Reaction
Ever since Oscar Pistorius, also known as Blade Runner was accused and later convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013, media outlets around the world have speculated on what really happened that fateful night. The drama that unfolded after March 3 rd 2014 in South Africa quickly became one of those crazy, tabloid stories reminiscent to Elizabeth Taylor’s second marriage to Richard Burton or even more recently, Chris Brown and Rihanna’s infamous assault case.
