| Dope Girls | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Created by |
|
| Based on | Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground by Marek Kohn |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | NYX |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 53–58 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 22 February – 29 March 2025 |
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.
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]
Reference: [2]
| 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 | 1 March 2025 | N/A |
| 3 | 3 | "A Filthy Little Mole Down a Filthy Little Hole" | Shannon Murphy | Polly Stenham Alex Warren Matthew Jacobs Horgan | 8 March 2025 | N/A |
| 4 | 4 | "Behold the Stars" | Miranda Bowen | Amelia Spencer | 15 March 2025 | N/A |
| 5 | 5 | "Monster" | Miranda Bowen | Roanne Bardsley | 22 March 2025 | N/A |
| 6 | 6 | "Rage" | Miranda Bowen | Polly Stenham Alex Warren Elinor Cook | 29 March 2025 | N/A |
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]
In July 2025, the series was cancelled after one season. [6]
The series was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One from 22 February 2025. [7]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating based on 10 critic reviews. [8]
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". [9]
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.” [10]