# The Crimson Petal and the White (2011)

> A young prostitute named Sugar climbs out of London's Victorian underworld by insinuating herself into a wealthy household.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36522

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Lucinda Coxon, Michel Faber
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Gillian Anderson, Romola Garai, Shirley Henderson, Katie Lyons, Elizabeth Berrington, Amanda Hale, Mark Gatiss, Richard E. Grant
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384013/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sensual, melancholic, candid, gritty, opulent

## What critics say

Critics broadly praised the miniseries for its lush period production, candid atmosphere, and strong lead performance, while noting that the four-episode adaptation of a very long novel sometimes feels compressed.

## Synopsis

The Crimson Petal and the White (2011) is a British national-television period drama miniseries created by Lucinda Coxon and Michel Faber for BBC Two. Adapted from Michel Faber's sprawling novel, it follows Romola Garai as Sugar, a sharp-tongued young prostitute in the crowded, vice-ridden streets of Victorian London who schemes her way toward a better life. Her ambitions draw her into the orbit of William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd), a perfume businessman, and his troubled household, where his wife Agnes (Amanda Hale) and his daughter Sugar's own rivals and allies test her resolve. Gillian Anderson plays the brothel keeper Mrs. Castaway, and Shirley Henderson appears as Mrs Emmeline Fox. Across four hour-long episodes, the story is built from ambition, desire, and the barter of bodies and money in a rigid class society. The atmosphere is lush and candid, with grimy alleyways set against opulent interiors, and the tone is sensual, emotionally raw and quietly melancholic. Fans of Fingersmith, Ripper Street and The Knick will find resonance in its frank period texture and its portrait of women fighting for power in a patriarchal age.

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