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James Purefoy, the star of Netflix's renowned comedy-drama Sex Education, is poised to captivate audiences with U U&Drama's new series, Outrageous, set in a historical era that surprisingly echoes today's contentious political climate.

Recently gracing the screen as Remi Milburn, Purefoy now plays a pivotal part in the drama premiering later this week, which delves into the life of celebrated writer Nancy Mitford, portrayed by Bridgerton's Bessie Carter.

Outrageous brings to life the 1930s ascent of the Mitford family amidst looming war tensions and the ideological divides that threaten to tear Nancy apart from her sisters.

The family's patriarch, David Freeman-Mitford or 'Farve,' as his daughters affectionately call him, played by Purefoy, encounters financial constraints, leading some siblings towards British Fascists, seen as a remedy for the nation's economic unrest.

At the London premiere, speaking exclusively to Reach, Purefoy revealed his thoughts on the show's relevance: "I think, because of the times we live in, I'm not sure how outrageous it is", reports .

"Because I think everybody's quite used to what's going on in terms of very polarised politics, populist leaders doing unbelievably outrageous things.

"So, it's outrageous in the sense of, that's kind of where it started."

Sarah Williams' Outrageous boldly sets itself apart from the usual period drama fare right from its debut episode, fearlessly exploring the murkier aspects of high society in the 20th Century.

As Nancy sharpens her skills as a scribe, her siblings Diana (Joanna Vanderham) and Unity (Shannon Watson) find themselves entangled in the burgeoning fascist movement within Britain, echoing the political divisions that have fractured families in contemporary times.

"Sometimes it takes a show to come along to show us where we are now by looking through the lens of us now from 1933," Purefoy remarked.

"And I think people are going to find that fascinating, they're going to go 'Oh my God, this really is like where we are now'.

"What's, for me, outrageous, is that those people then didn't have the benefit of hindsight. Fascism, the logical conclusion, the only way it ends up, is with the industrial slaughter of millions of people.

"They didn't know that then. But those who flirt with fascism, the iconography, the language, the words of fascism now, they know where it ends up. And they should be very careful playing with that fire."

Purefoy wrapped up his comments with a cautionary note to potential viewers, suggesting the series might provoke a re-evaluation of their beliefs.

"Perhaps, hopefully it will wake people up to go, 'Woah, that's not a road we want to go down again!'" he expressed.

Purefoy delved into the complexities of his character in the latest period drama sensation, revealing Farve is inspired by a character from Nancy Mitford's books widely believed to be based on her father.

"He's an interesting story, Farve," Purefoy says. "[In the books], Uncle Matthew is a very boisterous, slightly cartoonish figure who's brutal with his children.

"And, yes, Farve is pretty brutal with his children but I find him quite a sad figure. Because he pretty much loses everything as the show goes on.

"And he's just not equipped for the modern world at all. He's lost a lot of money [during] the Wall Street Crash and that's not coming back fast enough.

"I find him a really, deeply upsetting man in a lot of ways because he's someone who's quite lost in the modern world. He's just not equipped for it."

Period drama aficionados, take note: U's latest offering is a must-see, promising scandal and intrigue that will undoubtedly capture your attention this week.

Outrageous premieres Thursday, 19th June on U, U&Drama and BritBox.