One of the most underrated British TV shows of all time is streaming on Amazon Prime | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

The trial of Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of the Liberal Party, shocked the nation after he was accused of conspiracy to commit murder in 1979.

And if you missed the BBC drama about the sex scandal of a senior British politician who was accused of plotting the murder of his gay lover, you can watch the series now on Amazon Prime.

Jeremy Thorpe, played by legendary actor Hugh Grant, 64, becomes embroiled in a gay sex scandal after his alleged ex-lover Norman Scott, played by Ben Whishaw, claimed he had an affair with the leader of the Liberal Party.

His allegations came at a time when gay sex was illegal in the UK. Fearing that his life as he knew it was crumbling around him, Jeremy probably took the only action he thought possible – plotting Norman's murder in a desperate attempt to silence the male model forever.

Three episodes of the well-documented scandal are now available on the streaming platform. The drama series is based on the book by John Preston entitled A Very English Scandal.

Jeremy was married and the father of one child at the time, but his wife Caroline met a tragic end when she died in a car accident in 1970. Three years later, he remarried and the marriage continued despite a flood of sexual allegations dominating their married life.

It is believed that Norman was initially paid by his Liberal colleague Peter Bessell to silence him, although this claim is unproven. But it hardly seemed to silence him.

Jeremy became increasingly worried and, according to David Holmes, a close friend of Jeremy's, was obsessed with denying Norman's accusations.

And this reportedly led to “an almost manic desire to have him killed.” The prosecution at the Old Bailey alleged that two other men, slot machine salesman George Deakin and carpet dealer John Le Mesurier, also got involved to help resolve the situation.

Numerous methods of murder were reportedly discussed, including poisoning his drink and pushing him down an old mine shaft, but the alleged use of a firearm was settled on.

Although Jeremy was linked to the attempted murder after those involved incriminated him, he was found not guilty and branded Norman, who was 74 at the time the BBC drama aired, a “crook, a liar and a parasite”.

But Jeremy's public reputation was ruined. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, he soon became disabled. But in 2008, he gave his first press interview in 25 years and said: “If it were to happen now, I think the public would be more forgiving. At the time, they were very worried.”