Orphaned by smallpox, young Lancashire country lady Fanny Hill cheerfully accepts her friend Esther Davies's offer to join the London 'working girls' with Mrs. Brown, a madam who recruits her as charmingly fresh enough to wait, in-living, on gentlemen.
Acting
Rebecca Night balances wide-eyed innocence with knowing arch.
Production
Muddy, candlelit London feels authentically grimy-glamorous.
Director
James Hawes
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cleland's 1748 novel was prosecuted for obscenity and remained illegal in the US until 1966.
This BBC adaptation was specifically commissioned to test how far post-watershed period drama could push sexual content.
US
GB
