7 August 2017
BREAKING NEWS: Harlots is now live, first and only on Showmax
You can now binge-watch both seasons of the critically acclaimed, addictive, saucy period drama Harlots, starring two-time Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton (In America, Sweet and Lowdown) and 2016 and 2017 BAFTA nominee Lesley Manville (River, Mum) as rival brothel owners in 18th-Century England, first and only on Showmax.
“So much of London was built on the profits of prostitution,” says Lesley. “One in five women were prostitutes during that time. And it was happening at all levels of society.“
Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey) also stars as Samantha Morton’s eldest daughter, Charlotte, the city’s most wanted courtesan, who begins to grapple with her position in both society and her family.
Screenwriter Moira Buffini (Jane Eyre) was partly inspired to create Harlots by reading Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies, a bestselling yearly publication describing, in very fine language, the services of London’s sex workers, from high-class courtesans to those who solicited in seedy bars and taverns. This gentleman’s guide to whoring led her to an outlaw society of women who had found a way to turn the economy of exploitation around and use it for their own benefit.
“We knew instantly that we wanted to create a drama about these women, from their point of view,” says Moira. “We found them to be funny, bold and outrageous, full of wit and irreverence. It was easy to become seduced by them and their world.”
She and her co-creator, EastEnders actress Alison Newman, took their idea to Oscar-nominated producers Alison Owen (Elizabeth, Temple Grandin) and Debra Hayward (Les Misérables, Love Actually), who loved their take on a family drama involving mothers and daughters and two warring brothels.
They then brought on BAFTA-nominated directors Coky Giedroyc (The Killing, Penny Dreadful) and Jill Robertson (Last Tango In Halifax, Vera), as well as National Television Award nominee China Moo-Young (Misfits, Call the Midwife) – making Harlots a rare show completely written and directed by women.
“We wanted to look closely at a profession that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years,” says Moira. “It’s always been the coalface of gender politics and that’s where we wanted to put our female gaze. Our characters have a contemporary edge. It’s a costume drama with its teeth sunk firmly in the modern world.”
“It surprised me how modern it was,” says Samantha. “The world for women then was brutal. It still is.”
She spells out how little has changed. “It’s similar still today: Child brides. Child abuse. The legal age of consent varies in the world, with some countries as young as nine. The world continues to be brutal and the world continues to be unjust and unfair for many. And it’s how people get out of that and survive. The amazing stories of survival.”
At the time of writing, Harlots had a 97% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Think Downton Abbey meets Game of Thrones,” wrote Variety, while The Orlando Sentinel hailed it as “the most outstanding period drama debut on television since Game of Thrones.”
You can now binge-watch both Season 1 and 2 of Harlots – first and only on Showmax in Africa.
Original African stories by local talent
Empini S1
Stream the Showmax Original drama series Empini from 23 May 2024.
Original Sin: My Son The Killer
Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows the murder of Andrea Venter by Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who then went on the run from South Africa to Brazil.
Tracking Thabo Bester
From the makers of Devilsdorp and the director of Convict Conman comes the true-crime documentary South Africa has been waiting for. Two episodes now streaming, and the remaining two episodes land on 22 March 2024 on Showmax.
The Illuminated
The Showmax Original docuseries The Illuminated explores different religious movements in South Africa. Stream now, with new episodes every Wednesday.
Koek S1
The crime comedy Koek, starring Cindy Swanepoel, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Ekhaya Backpackers S1
Stream the Showmax Original comedy series Ekhaya Backpackers, with new episodes every Thursday.
Cheta M
Cheta M explores the love story between Adanna and Nnanna, young lovers who battle the spiritual and political forces in their way. Stream now, with new episodes Wednesday to Friday.
Youngins S1
Stream Tshedza Pictures’s first teen drama, Showmax Original Youngins, with three new episodes every week.
The Roast of Minnie Dlamini: The roast everyone's been waiting on
Empini, coming soon
More Mzansi gold
Your initiation into the cool, chaotic world of Wyfie
Feel like we’re almost at midterms but you stopped going to class after you skipped a couple of lectures? Let’s swot up on Episodes 1-24 of Showmax Original Wyfie.
Must-watch trailer for The Showmax Roast of Minnie Dlamini
See the trailer for The Showmax Roast of Minnie Dlamini, premiering on Showmax this Friday, 26 April 2024.
Nambitha Ben-Mazwi stars in Showmax Original Empini
Multi-award winner Nambitha Ben-Mazwi leads new Showmax Original Empini. The action-packed drama series premieres on Showmax 23 May 2024.
Youngins Season 1 episodes 31-33 recap: Revelations
Amo and Mahlatse become a couple, Tumelo ditches Sefako, and Khaya sees both Sefako and Principal Mthembu in a new light in episodes 31-33 of Showmax Original Youngins.