James Norton Stars In A Steamy Adaptation Of One Of Literature’s Most Scandalous Love Stories — And The Familiar Star Playing The Mysterious Man At The Center Of The Affair May Surprise You

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James Norton’s steamy period drama is streaming for free now

The Happy Valley actor stars opposite Holliday Grainger, Richard Madden and Jodie Comer in the BBC’s 2015 adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover

James Norton in a brown hat, tweed jacket, and green scarf stands against a stone wall.© Alamy Stock Photo

Period drama fans, listen up! The BBC’s adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover is now available to stream on Channel 4 – and if you love a racy romance, you’re in for a treat.

The 2015 drama, penned and directed by Line of Duty boss Jed Mercurio, adapts D. H. Lawrence’s landmark 1928 novel, which was banned in several countries following its release for its explicit sexual content.

James Norton and Holliday Grainger standing together, dressed in period wedding attire, surrounded by a crowd in a church.© Alamy Stock Photo
James Norton and Holliday Grainger as Clifford Chatterley and Lady Constance Chatterley

Boasting a seriously stacked cast led by James Norton, Holliday Grainger, Richard Madden and Jodie Comer, the drama follows the passionate and illicit affair between a young aristocrat and her gamekeeper.

Exploring themes of duty, class, and forbidden love against an idyllic rural backdrop, Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a delightful 90-minute watch for any period drama fan. After all, who can resist a compelling forbidden romance?

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Keep reading to find out more…

What is Lady Chatterley’s Lover about?

The story centres around Lady Constance Chatterley (Holliday Grainger), who is trapped in a loveless marriage with her baronet husband, Clifford Chatterley (James Norton), who returns paralysed and depressed after serving in the First World War.

Constance finds comfort in the company of the estate’s gamekeeper Oliver Mellors (Richard Madden), and the pair embark on a passionate love affair.

Richard Madden and Holliday Grainger standing close, dressed in vintage attire, in a forest setting.© Alamy Stock Photo
Richard Madden plays gamekeeper Oliver Mellors

The synopsis continues: “In the England of the 1920s the social divide between the upper class and their servants was unbreakable: an affair between a lady and a working man would scandalise society and ostracise them both.

“Lady Chatterley must choose between propriety and love, while Mellors risks his safety, as they both strive to evade the growing suspicions of her jealous and vengeful husband.”