The Crimson Petal and the White

Loved it. Exactly what I want in a movie.

I have just finished watching the final episode today and - like another reviewer (jane) I did not want it to end. This has so much to recommend it.

I rarely write reviews. However...

As a fan of Victorian-era drama, this 4-part adaptation of a Michel Faber book of the same name is right up my street. It is the story of a London prostitute called Sugar (played by Romola Garai) who takes the fancy of a well-to-do merchant Mr Rackham (Chris O'Dowd) and how their relationship develops.

Addictive, and not in a bad way. Sooo rich in character and setting.

Ah, THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE, what a load of rot. The story concerns the brilliant Victorian prostitute Sugar (Romola Garai) who becomes mistress to (her sugar-daddy?

I love Michel Faber's writing and it's a toss up between this and Under The Skin for his greatest work. The two could be no more different; Under the Skin is a taught contemporary sci fi horror set in Scotland and this; an 800 page monstrous take on Dickensian Victorian London.

William Rackham is considered by his Father to be pathetic and everything he does is useless, until he meets a prostitute named Sugar, Sugar gives William confidence, while William offers a new life for Sugar.I have not been fond of old period dramas and British telly is full of period dramas, but when I saw the advert for this show, I was dazzled by the character Sugar, this show seemed to have a dark quality to it that drew me in.

I love a good period drama, and The Crimson Petal and the White is exactly that. The book is a masterpiece, full of rich, memorable characters and a very interesting story line that draws you in from the word go, and this series lives up to it very, very well.