Percy Pigs and designer suits: Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal is a far cry from the reality of Westminster

Political nerds beware, you will undoubtedly find yourself wincing at the highly stylised world presented, writes Salma Shah

Of course, I will be binge watching the entire series this weekend despite its flaws (Reuters)

For anyone that’s worked in parliament or indeed more widely in Westminster, Anatomy of a Scandal is a must-watch political thriller. There’s nothing more fascinating to the residents of the political village than watching polished versions of themselves on screen, trying to work out exactly how they might have influenced the depictions in the script.

But political nerds beware, you will find yourself wincing at the highly stylised world presented. If you have no knowledge of the inner workings, you will probably remain largely unperturbed by the glaring inaccuracies, but for those of us unfortunate enough to have borne witness to the inside of the parliamentary buildings, you will experience a discomfort not felt since Mel Gibson had a crack at Scottish history in a movie.

Let’s start with the characters. Sienna Miller is too impossibly beautiful. In fact, the whole main family looks like the product of a Boden’s marketing focus group. How can that be so when politics is known as showbiz for ugly people? The beauty of the cast is complemented by their beautiful wardrobes, the likes of which have rarely been seen on an MP. Bespoke designer suits, outfits curated by stylists – in reality, there’s hardly ever been anything so sartorially pleasing in Westminster, as real politicians have a knack for dressing in a way no one wishes to replicate.