Sophie Cookson, James Norton to star in BBC's 'Trial of Christine Keeler'

Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Sophie Cookson, James Norton, Emilia Fox and Ben Miles have signed on to star in the BBC's six-part drama The Trial of Christine Keeler, which is set in the 1960s.

"I'm delighted to be playing Christine Keeler in this new drama," Cookson said in a statement. "Amanda Coe has written an illuminating script about a vivid, complex woman who has previously, it seems, been reduced and misunderstood. Now feels like the perfect time to reconsider her life, and redress the balance."

Director Andrea Harkin began filming the fact-based miniseries this week in Bristol, England, the network said.

"At the center of the storm was 19-year-old Christine Keeler (Cookson) -- a young woman whom the powerful, male-dominated establishment sought to silence and exploit, but who refused to play by their rules," a press release said. "The Trial of Christine Keeler takes us behind the headlines to tell a human story about the sexual and cultural politics of one of the most revealing and iconic stories of modern times."