Washington CONFIDENTIAL

Sean Penn and Julia Roberts star in a powerful drama about Watergate whistle-blower Martha Mitchell

- IAN MACEWAN, ALISON SLADE

NEW DRAMA

Gaslit From Sunday 24 April, STARZPLAY

In his famous 1977 interview about the Watergate scandal, former US President Richard Nixon told broadcaster David Frost: ‘If it hadn’t been for Martha [Mitchell], there’d have been no Watergate.’

Now, the shocking story of Martha Mitchell – and her role in the wiretapping scandal that ended Nixon’s political career – is being told in Gaslit, a fascinating new drama series on streaming service STARZPLAY.

The eight-parter focuses on the largely forgotten role of whistle-blower Martha, played by Julia Roberts. Known as the ‘Mouth of the South’ for her outspoken views, Arkansas-born Martha was a well-known socialite in Washington DC during the early 1970s, while her husband, John (played by Sean Penn), was Nixon’s Attorney General and one of his most trusted advisers.

‘I did not know anything about Martha before I was sent the script,’ admits Roberts. ‘But these stories are fascinating because it’s a whole new way to see something we felt had nothing left to reveal.’

CORRUPTION