Dope Girls Is A New Crime Drama In The Same Vein As Peaky Blinders
Love historical dramas? The BBC is bringing a new period piece Dope Girls to BBC One and iPlayer, set in the early 20th century. It follows the lives of a group of women as they help to establish Britain’s drug underworld, with an eye to make money and gain influence.
Starring Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown) and from the same production company as Industry and Doctor Who (Bad Wolf) the six-part series is set to release later in 2025. Here’s all we know so far:
What is Dope Girls about?
Set in the streets of Soho in the aftermath of the First World War (around the time fellow BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders is set), Dope Girls focuses on a group of women who, like the men coming home, have also been changed by the war. One of these is Kate Galloway (Nicholson), who sets up a nightclub in Soho, keen to be able to provide a decent life for her daughter Evie (Eilidh Fisher). The nightclub is quickly swept into the activities of the criminal underground, with the drug trade in particular playing an important part in the amount of revenue received. But of course, such illicit activities are soon noticed by the law.
Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects) plays a policewoman, Violet Davies, who is part of a wave of female police officers who are instructed to investigate and go after those who are setting up these nightclubs and illegal businesses, forming a threat to Kate’s livelihood. Kate also meets Billie Cassidy (Umi Myers), a young dancer, who during her time in Soho’s nightlife is introduced to cocaine. Several characters in the show are based on real-life figures from the period, including Billie and Kate, who all had a role in establishing the modern drug trade in Britain. But while business for those defying the law begins to boom and hedonistic lifestyles are embraced, the potential personal consequences of their trade could hit them harder than they realised.
Is there a trailer, and when can you watch?
A brief teaser trailer for the series has been released, particularly focusing on the visuals of the period setting, and giving a glimpse of the core plot points of Kate establishing her nightclub and Violet being enlisted to investigate. The sizeable cast meanwhile also includes Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper), Geraldine James (Downton Abbey), Rory Fleck Byrne (This Is Going To Hurt) and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses). The series is set to debut later this year, and you can watch the trailer below.
