There were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Right now, it feels like there are almost as many on TV. The new HBO legal thriller War, which launched on Sky Atlantic on Friday night, chronicles what it calls “the highest-profile divorce case in UK history”.
This enjoyably juicy eight-parter is joined in the weekend schedules by the BBC drama The Split Up – a Manchester-based spin-off from Abi Morgan’s The Split – following a British Asian family law firm specialising in elite divorces. In broadcasting terms, untying the knot is definitely having a moment. With about four in 10 real-life marriages ending in divorce, it’s no wonder viewers can’t look away.
War traces the cataclysmic break-up between a narcissistic Hollywood star, Carla Duval (played by Sienna Miller), and her philandering tech billionaire husband Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). Their split sparks a ruthless battle between two rival law firms as they fight for the considerable spoils. The bitter fallout is all played out in the public eye as the celebrity couple come under intense media scrutiny.
With its illicit office affairs and drug-fuelled toilet cubicle romps, TV lawyers haven’t been this sexy since This Life. The series is created by George Kay, whose previous credits include Lupin, Hijack and The Long Shadow. When Kay hit upon the premise of a high-stakes divorce, he realised this was a world ripe with dramatic potential.
The prenups and property disputes reminded Kay of the glossy legal procedurals he grew up watching, such as Ally McBeal and LA Law. More recent reference points include Suits and The Good Wife. It might have the aspirational sheen and starry cast of a US prestige drama but War is set in London, widely acknowledged as the divorce capital of the world.
English courts have a reputation for fairness, expertise and generosity to the financially weaker party. Foreign wives fight to have their claims heard in London. In turn, this has spawned an entire industry of specialist practices, forensic accountants and private investigators.
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