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Fanny Hill – the ultimate kiss and tell story
Actress Alison Steadman has spoken about working with writer Andrew Davies for the first time since the 91Èȱ¬'s classic 1995 adaptation of Pride And Prejudice.
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She plays a bawdy madam in Davies' new two-part adaptation of John Cleland's infamous, classic novel Fanny Hill for 91Èȱ¬ Four.
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Speaking about the new drama, Andrew Davies says: "Fanny Hill is a brilliant story about a young woman learning the ways of the world – and making the world work for her.
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"It is, perhaps, the ultimate kiss-and-tell story, with the difference that Fanny is not telling her story to make money, or to settle old scores with former lovers. She is on a mission: she wants to tell the truth about men's dealings with women, and to set down for the first time ever that women's desire is at least equal to men's."
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The cast is led by Alison Steadman, Samantha Bond and Hugo Speer and introduces a dazzling newcomer, Rebecca Night, who plays the eponymous heroine.
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The drama offered Alison Steadman, playing bawdy madam Mrs Brown, a chance to be reunited with Andrew Davies' work for first time since Pride and Prejudice.
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She says: "As soon as I knew it was Andrew Davies that was doing the adaptation, it was a definite plus for me. I think Andrew's brilliant, people sometimes think that because an adaptation already has the story written there is very little to do. That's nonsense as an adapter can make an absolute hash of a novel and not bring anything to it.
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"What Andrew does is take a wonderful story and he adds his own twist to it, he's quite courageous in the way he writes so he's not afraid to put a few new things in but also you never feel that they're not period or they're not right, he just gives it another twist which is fun to do and fun to read.
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"When I read the script I just loved the character of Mrs Brown, it's a real character part for me, something I can really get my teeth into. She is one of those people who can be sweet as honey on the outside but as hard as nails, as tough as old boots.
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"She runs this business, an establishment for gentlemen to visit, and all the girls seem quite happy but my God if they don't do exactly what she wants they would know about it. She's really got them trapped because if they weren't there they'd probably be in the workhouse which was the reality of the period and is pretty awful.
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"The fact that men would pay a couple guineas in 1740 to sleep with a virgin is absolutely extraordinary and, of course, to find these young pretty girls and get them entangled in your web, as Mrs Brown does, is a very lucrative business and a very nasty business in the end."
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Playing a lead character in your first major television role whose name has been synonymous with sex for more than two centuries might have daunted many young actresses but Rebecca Night relished the challenge.
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Speaking about the role Rebecca says: "Fanny is an amazing character, she's very honest and to begin with has this amazing innocence and yet she always has this inner quality of strength. She gets to become this naughty minx, and it's a lot of fun to play because she is doing things that you just don't want to do in real life. She's just vibrant and full of life. In two years so much happens to her – not all of it pleasant but through it all she is determined just to survive."
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Andrew Davies agrees with Rebecca's assessment of Fanny character saying: "She is as sharp, streetwise, and practical as Becky Sharp or Moll Flanders, but differs from these anti-heroines in several ways: she preserves a romantic heart through all her misadventures; she prefers virtue to vice and she is quite unabashed in her enthusiasm for sex – three very endearing qualities, to my mind. She is clever enough, and lucky enough, to come through some pretty hair-raising experiences relatively unscathed."
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In the first episode, a vulnerable Fanny is lured to London after losing her parents to small pox. Seized upon by notorious madam Mrs Brown, Fanny's virtue is tested by the lascivious Mr Crofts.
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After a daring escape with her true love, Charles, Fanny briefly basks in happy domesticity, but when Charles's father, Mr Crofts, meets his son's fiancée, he banishes Charles to the West Indies and leaves Fanny alone with spiralling debts.
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Episode two sees Fanny become mistress to the enigmatic
Mr H. Jealous of Fanny's continued love for Charles, he expels Fanny from his home and she seeks refuge in Mrs Cole's brothel. However, Fanny is thrown on to the streets when the brothel is raided.
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Rescuing the elderly Mr Goodyear, Fanny receives a handsome inheritance for her companionship and returns home a wealthy woman. But will she achieve what she truly longs for – reunion with her true love Charles?
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Fanny Hill continues the rich footpath of 91Èȱ¬ Four drama, and follows Fantabulosa starring Michael Sheen, Fear Of Fanny starring Julia Davis and Miss Marie Lloyd starring Jessie Wallace.
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Fanny Hill was commissioned by Jane Tranter, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Fiction, and is being made for 91Èȱ¬ Four by Sally Head Productions whose previous productions include Fingersmith, Tipping The Velvet, The Mayor Of Casterbridge and A Good Murder.
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Fanny Hill is directed by James Hawes whose previous credits include Doctor Who, Miss Marie Lloyd and The Chatterley Affair.
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Accompanying the drama will be two documentaries.
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The Curse Of Success tells the story of the novel's author, John Cleland, who always felt the book had blighted his career and ruined his reputation.
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While in The Age of Excess - When Britain Went Too Far, writer and broadcaster Matthew Sweet delves into a world where bawdy ballads, licentious pamphlets and erotic prints helped set the aesthetic tone of 18th century England.
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