Dope Girls review – the dodgy accents could give Peaky Blinders a run for its money

This fun, gory tale of women trying to set up a nightclub in the 1918 Soho underworld is lively – even if it tries to cram too much in. Shame about the ropey vocal affectations …

The Peaky Blinders comparisons have been flying around ever since filming on Dope Girls began, so it sounds as if the BBC was hoping that it might have a successor on its hands. Certainly, there are some superficial similarities between the two. Dope Girls is set in 1918 and deals with the aftermath of the first world war, as the surviving men return. But here, it’s the women who are in the spotlight, as the female workforce of the past four years suddenly find their newfound social status has been relegated once again. In mood and tone, however, it is less a return to Small Heath, and more of a predecessor to Cabaret.

Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) is a businessman’s wife and wartime butcher, who falls on hard times after a family tragedy. Destitute and homeless, she heads to London, where Armistice Day is looming and the party of the century is about to kick off. With the help of a bright dancer named Billie (Umi Myers), who is as talented as she is troubled, Kate finds her way into the clubland underworld of Soho, where she spies the potential to apply her previous workplace-based knowledge, and sets the ball rolling on building a new empire of nightlife.

Topics

A Thousand Blows review – the irresistible new boxing drama from the Peaky Blinders creator

Steven Knight’s latest series is a hugely fun journey into the murky world of Victorian bare-knuckle fighting. It’s a ripping yarn full of audacious dialogue. Some will come for the boxing. The ...
The Guardian - 2d
How a national-security review made AppLovin America’s hottest stock — and its founders billionaires

Who says government can’t create wealth? CFIUS, an obscure panel playing an increasing market role, blocked the sale of AppLovin years before a stock-market bonanza.
MarketWatch - 1d
The Perfect Girl Next Door

How do you live your mediocre life in the shadow of a hipster goddess?
The New York Times - 13h
Trump’s Plan to Kill Social Security Benefit Tax Could Accelerate Its Insolvency

Social security is already in danger. President Trump’s plan to get rid of income taxes on the benefit won’t save it. In fact, it’ll probably do the opposite.
Inc. - 2d
This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout

Lenacapavir, a twice yearly injection that prevents HIV transmission, was named the breakthrough medicine of 2024. But without US foreign aid dollars, its delivery to millions worldwide is under ...
Wired - 1d
Police hunt van driver as girl dies in tram crash

The three-year-old girl has died after being taken to hospital, police say.
BBC News - 11h
Sources: Collier shares 1-on-1 money with staff

Unrivaled co-founder and player Napheesa Collier is giving half of her prize money for winning the league's first 1-on-1 tournament to her training and performance staff and assistant coaches ...
ESPN - 1d
£67bn of UK investors’ money is in underperforming funds

Wealth floundering in so-called ‘dog’ funds rises 26 per cent in six months, as investor Nick Train’s UK Equity product named among them
Financial Times - 1d
Cabernet Review - Monsters Are Hereditary

There's so much delightful intrigue to uncover with Cabernet 's core message of monsters being hereditary, a concept that initially seems solely meant to draw parallels between the protagonist's ...
GameSpot - 1d