Channel 5’s A Very British Sex Scandal: The Earl & the Escort, airing on Wednesday 24 April, looks into the life and mysterious death of one of Britain’s wealthiest men, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. The feature-length documentary explores the seedy underworld of Cannes, where the Earl enjoyed a hedonistic lifestyle, and the tragic tale of his ill-fated marriage.
The Earl of Shaftesbury, scion of a historic family with grand properties in the UK and France, including a 9,000-acre estate, and a vast art collection, led a life of luxury and excess. However, his world came crashing down when he met Jamila M’Barek, a divorcée and mother of two, through an escort agency.
M’Barek, a former Playboy model, first met the Earl in 2002 when she was hired for sex. The Earl was so taken with her that he married her, making her the third Countess of Shaftesbury. But the marriage quickly soured, and the Earl sought a divorce.
In 2004, the Earl was found dead, and M’Barek confessed that her brother, Mohammed M’Barek, was responsible for the murder. The documentary includes the first interview with M’Barek, who served nine years of a 20-year prison sentence for aiding and abetting the Earl’s murder.
The program also features lawyers, detectives, reporters, police recordings of M’Barek’s phone calls, and archive footage, shedding light on the scandalous events. It unravels the truth behind the Earl’s murder, including the role of M’Barek’s brother and the seedy underworld of Cannes.
A Very British Sex Scandal: The Earl & the Escort airs on Channel 5 at 9.00 pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
