AUG29

The Crimson Petal and the White

Based on Michael Faber's bestselling novel of the same name, this four part drama series from the BBC takes us back in time to the deliciously Dickensian streets of London in the 1870s.  

At the heart of the story is Sugar (Romola Garai), a young, titian haired prostitute who, according to folklore, "never disappoints".  The series tracks Sugar's taffeta flounced  journey, along claustrophobic alleys, from her mother's tawdry brothel to "liberation" as a kept courtesan. But don't go expecting a pretty woman type resolution. There's a darkness to Sugar, revealed through her murderous imaginings, that gives this series a jagged edge.

Keep an eye out for Gillian Anderson as Sugar's fresco faced mother/ madam, Mrs Castaway and Richard E Grant as a creepily dexterous physician.

Has it charmed the critics? Andrew asks Diamond Road Management's Paula McGrath, and writer, Sam de Brito.


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LABELS:    111 Hits    Fremantle    Granada TV    Showcase    Ten    UKTV

AUG26

Lucrezia loves a party but never knows quite what to wear

Powerful and debauched, the Borgias were the most infamous family of Renaissance Italy. Said to have been the inspiration behind The Godfather's Corleone clan, the Borgias indulged a life of heresy, extravagance, adultery and scandal, with patriarch Rodrigo Borgia famously purchasing his position on the papal throne.

Rodrigo's illegitimate offspring were equally renowned, with daughter Lucrezia famed for her beauty and proficiency with poisons, and sons Cesare, Giovanni and Gioffre feared by all for their unscrupulous brutality.

With so much sex, violence and corruption going on, it's no wonder that script writers have repeatedly plundered the story of the Borgias. The latest version, a TV drama series from US cable network Showtime, is perhaps the most lavish telling of the tale. Created, written and directed by Academy Award winner Neil Jordan, and starring fellow Oscar winner, Jeremy Irons, The Borgias is certainly a production with pedigree.

But is it just The Tudors in crimson capes? Or Rome with better architecture? Andrew talks with The Sun Herald's Jo Casamento and The Australian's Graeme Blundell to find out.  


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LABELS:    BBC    W Channel