Dirty rotten scoundrels

What's behind Danny Boyle's series about the Sex Pistols?

- RUSSELL BAILLIE

Creating headlines: from left, Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Toby Wallace as Steve Jones and Jacob Slater as Paul Cook.

PISTOL, Disney+, May 31

There's some mischief to the timing of Pistol, the Danny Boyle-directed mini-series about the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols. The show arrives in the last week of May, almost 45 years to the day since the punk rock pioneers released their second single God Save the Queen. The monarchy-mocking original became the UK No 2 hit as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977. Now, the show arrives as her Platinum Jubilee kicks off in the UK.

It's unlikely Pistol will cause quite as much tabloid fury as the song did - although it has already generated headlines, with the front-man formerly known as Johnny Rotten, John Lydon, having lost his court case against bandmates Steve Jones and Paul Cook for allowing the group's music to be used in the series, which is based on Jones' memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.