# Tipping the Velvet (2002)

> A naive Victorian girl is drawn into the decadent bohemian London demimonde through her love affair with a music hall male impersonator.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12947

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Created by: Andrew Davies
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes, Sally Hawkins, Richard Hope, Monica Dolan, Annie Hulley, Peter Kelly, Benedict Cumberbatch
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324264/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: sensual, melancholic, tender, romantic, decadent, sincere

## Synopsis

Tipping the Velvet (2002) is a British period drama miniseries created by Andrew Davies for BBC Two. Across three hour-long episodes, a naive young woman named Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling) leaves her provincial home and falls into the hidden, decadent world of bohemian London in the 1890s. Her guide and lover is Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a music hall male impersonator whose glamour and secrets pull Nan into a demimonde of performers, patrons and fleeting pleasures. The engine of the story is Nan's hunger for love and experience, pitted against the money, class and social risks that threaten to swallow her. Each episode moves through new rooms, stages and bedrooms as her education deepens and her illusions crack. Adapted from Sarah Waters' novel, the miniseries is a sensual, tender and sometimes harrowing story with a lush, candlelit texture. Its tone blends romance, melancholy and sharp social observation. Viewers who enjoyed Fingersmith, The Crimson Petal and the White or Bridgerton will find a similar appetite for Victorian intrigue and forbidden desire here.

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