WhilePeaky Blinders’Shelby boys were dominating street gangsin Birmingham after World War I, a group ofDope Girlshad already made their presence known in nearby London. Led by Julianne Nicholson as Kate Galloway and Eliza Scanlen as Violet Davies,Dope Girlsis a vibrant, gritty look at life, crime, and politics during the early 20th century.
As the so-called “spiritual successor” ofPeaky Blinders,Dope Girlsexplores the same seedy underbelly of urban life in England as its predecessor.Dope Girlsdiffers in its focus on the role of women and the underprivileged, giving an entirely different perspective.
Umi Myers, Eilidh Fisher, and Geraldine James add depth to the variety of female experiences inDope Girls. The show ventures into the fantastical, giving added life to the intensity ofDope Girls, too.
‘Dope Girls’ Gives Life To Women’s Struggles in Early-20th-Century Britain
Dope Girlsis based on the bookDope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Undergroundby Marek Kohn andoffers a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of London during the post-World War I era. There are elements of truth in the stories it tells, namely inspiration from the lives of musician and actress Billie Carleton, Jamaican jazz drummer Edgar Manning, and underworld king Brilliant Chang. Additionally,Kate Calloway is drawn from Kate Meyrick,the actual woman who established the foundation of London nightlife.
Theend of WWI essentiallymeantwomen would be relegated back to the home after working during the war.Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) loses her job as a result, and her husband takes his own life. This leaves Galloway and her teenage daughter, Evie (Eilidh Fisher), in dire straits. Kate and Evie go to London and take refuge with Billie Cassidy (Umi Myers) in Soho.
Violet Davies (Eliza Scanlen) exists on the other side of the law, undercover at Kate’s club to investigate the disappearance of Silvio Salucci. Silvio was a member of the Saluccicrime family that dominates Soho. With Isabella Salucci as matriarch, the Sicilian group is as dangerous as it is pervasive.
Galloway, as a woman struggling to survive as she sets up an underground club, contrasts with Scanlen, a police officer wannabe still trying to find a way into working for law enforcement. BothGalloway and Scanlen attempt to thrive in vocations dominated by men.
Crime Pays in ‘Dope Girls,’ But Not Without a Cost of Its Own
Billie Cassidy works at a brothel, and it becomes clear that her relationship with Kate Galloway is more than one of friendship or even acquaintance. Kate is Billie’s mother and the woman who abandoned her years earlier. Despite resentment and obvious tension between the two women, Billie helps Kate and later agrees to work with her at the club she is working towards establishing, called “The 33.”
Violet Davies finds a job at Galloway’s establishment. She regularly informs on everything she sees to Sergeant Frank Turner (Ian Bonar), including the discovery of Silvio Salucci’s gun.Turner, however, takes news of the gun to the Saluccis,ultimately handing it over to Luca (Rory Fleck Byrne). Luca and Silvio’s father, Damasco, is engaged in a sibling rivalry for the ages, one compounded by Luca’s recent return from fighting in the War.
Galloway, as a woman struggling to survive as she sets up an underground club, contrasts with Scanlen, a woman attempting to ingratiate herself with the authorities amid corruption at every turn. In thewords ofThe Guardian’sRebecca Nicholson, “It’s impossible to root for one over the other, even though they are technically opposing forces, because both are outsiders, and desperate in their own ways.”
Galloway and Scanlenmanage to manipulate the men in their lives by working together.Galloway gets Damato to kill Luca while Violet finally makes her way into the police force. It’s not without sacrifice or loss, of course, but that’s another aspect of the plight of women and the choices they had to make in worlds dominated by men.
‘Dope Girls’ Was Praised For Its Style, Ferocity, and Sensational Look
AfterDope Girlsaired on the BBC in early 2025, critics had mixed reviews.Reactions toDope Girls’appearance were positive,although they did acknowledge a lack of realism. Instead ofbeing a straightforward period piece,Dope Girlsis a mix of new and old.Director Shannon Murphy made it clearthat she wasn’t interested in “arguments about door handles or if someone would wear tights or not at the time… if it looks great, we’re doing it.”
The London Standard’sVicky Jessop did think it looked great. She calledDope Girlsa “stylish show” and noted,
“It looks sensational. Everything is sumptuous fabrics, bold colours and elegant silhouettes that make the world of 1918 feel tangible and real.”
While Jessop found the mix of violence, lies, and debauchery to be “something as desperately addictive, seedy, and glamorous as the lives tthat these real women led,” not everyone foundDope Girlsto be so satisfying. Nicholson fromThe Guardiansaid,
“Dope Girls takes place in a busy period, historically, and crams in clandestine same-sex affairs, the 1918 flu pandemic outbreak, spiritualism and empire, among many other ideas. All of this creates a hectic, sometimes fussy scramble.”
Across the board,the grittiness ofDope Girlsis one of its biggest gifts,and the “scramble” Nicholson refers to could have meant ground to cover in future seasons ofDope Girls. Unfortunately for fans of the show, the BBC did not renew it for season two.At least one insider seemed to agree,commenting that while “the writers of the drama had left a few storyline strands untied, which could have easily led onto a second season.”
