Dope Girls
| Dope Girls | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Polly Stenham Alex Warren |
| Based on | Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground by Marek Kohn |
| Written by | Polly Stenham Alex Warren Matthew Jacobs Horgan Amelia Spencer Roanne Bardsley Elinor Cook |
| Directed by | Shannon Murphy Miranda Bowen |
| Starring | Julianne Nicholson Eliza Scanlen Umi Myers Eilidh Fisher Geraldine James |
| Composer | NYX |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | Stephen Haren Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto |
| Cinematography | Annika Summerson Carlos Catalán |
| Editors | Stephen Evans Sara Jones Jo Smyth Rebecca Trotman |
| Running time | 53–58 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 22 February 2025 – present |
Dope Girls is a six-part historical drama television series based on the nonfiction book Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground (1992) by Marek Kohn, developed by Bad Wolf in association with Sony Pictures Television for BBC One. The series was broadcast on BBC One from 22 February 2025.
Premise
[edit]Set in early 20th-century Soho, the characters and events in the series are based on the lives of Kate Meyrick, Billie Carleton and Edgar Manning.[1]
Cast
[edit]Reference:[2]
- Julianne Nicholson as Kate Galloway
- Eliza Scanlen as Violet Davies
- Umi Myers as Billie Cassidy
- Eilidh Fisher as Evie Galloway
- Sebastian Croft as Silvio Salucci
- Geraldine James as Isabella Salucci
- Rory Fleck Byrne as Luca Salucci
- Dustin Demri-Burns as Damaso Salucci
- Eben Figueiredo as Matteo Rossi Salucci
- Michael Duke as Eddie Cobb
- Ian Bonar as Sgt Frank Turner
- Nabhaan Rizwan as Silas Huxley
- Priya Kansara as Lily Lee
- Jordan Kouamé as Reggie Regbo
- Will Keen as Frederick Asquith-Gore
- Fiona Button as Sophie Asquith-Gore
- Carlos Powell
- Harry Cadby as Jimmy Conville
Episodes
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.K. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "When She Was Bad, She Was Very Very Bad" | Shannon Murphy | Polly Stenham Alex Warren | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
| 2 | 2 | "Butter Wouldn't Melt" | Shannon Murphy | Polly Stenham Alex Warren | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
| 3 | 3 | "A Filthy Little Mole Down a Filthy Little Hole" | Shannon Murphy | Polly Stenham Alex Warren Matthew Jacobs Horgan | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
| 4 | 4 | "Behold the Stars" | Miranda Bowen | Amelia Spencer | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
| 5 | 5 | "Monster" | Miranda Bowen | Roanne Bardsley | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
| 6 | 6 | "Rage" | Miranda Bowen | Polly Stenham Alex Warren Elinor Cook | 22 February 2025 | N/A |
Production
[edit]In March 2023, it was announced the BBC had ordered Dope Girls from Bad Wolf, which the network described as a "spiritual successor" to Peaky Blinders (2013–2022).[3]
Based on Marek Kohn's 1992 non-fiction book, the six-part series is written by Polly Stenham and Alex Warren, with Xiao Tang and Matthew Jacobs Morgan joining them in the writing room. Stenham and Warren executive produce the series with Kate Crowther and Jane Tranter of Bad Wolf, as well as Michael Lesslie.[4]
In November 2023, Julianne Nicholson and Eliza Scanlen joined the cast in lead roles with Umi Myers, Eilidh Fisher, Geraldine James and Sebastian Croft also cast. Deadline Hollywood confirmed filming started in late 2023.[5]
Release
[edit]The series was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One from 22 February 2025.[6]
Reception
[edit]Barbara Ellen for The Guardian described the atmosphere of the show as "left-field, dreamlike, female-centric, wild. Dope Girls can be overblown and messy, but it’s also passionate and promising", but also said that the series "is scuppered repeatedly by grating production flourishes (scribblings on the screen, and the like) and overcooked symbolism".[7]
Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph awarded the show three stars and noted that it is "trying very hard not to be a stuffy period drama. Too hard, at times.”[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Prasad, Sumith (25 July 2023). "'Dope Girls' Starts Filming in London in October". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "BBC announces cast for major new drama series Dope Girls". bbc.com/mediacentre. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Chilton, Louis (20 March 2023). "BBC developing 'spiritual successor to Peaky Blinders' set in London". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (20 March 2023). "'Dope Girls': BBC Lines Up Bad Wolf Drama About Female Crime Boss In Soho's Criminal Underworld". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy; Whittock, Jesse; Goldbart, Max (November 15, 2023). "'Dope Girls': Julianne Nicholson & Eliza Scanlen To Lead BBC Drama About Female Crime Boss In Soho; Filming Underway". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "DOPE GIRLS: FIRST LOOK AND LAUNCH DATE CONFIRMED FOR NEW BBC DRAMA". TV Zone UK. 10 Feb 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "The week in TV: Toxic Town; Small Town, Big Story; Israel and the Palestinians: The Road to 7th October; Dope Girls – review". The Guardian. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Singh, Anita (Feb 22, 2025). "Dope Girls, review: a daring all-female take on Peaky Blinders that tries too hard to be stylish". DailyTelegraph. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Dope Girls at IMDb
- 2025 British television series debuts
- Television series set in the 1910s
- Television series set in the 1920s
- Television shows about drugs
- Television shows based on non-fiction books
- British English-language television shows
- Serial drama television series
- BBC television dramas
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
- Television series by Bad Wolf (production company)