Provocative, quick-witted and fiercely independent, Aphra Behn was bisexual libertine and undercover spy who defied the gender rules of her era by becoming England’s first ever female playwright.
APHRA is the true story of a girl who – with courage, wit and exceptional talent – defiantly forged her way through a sexist society and achieved things no woman had ever done before. It’s the tale of an extraordinary female underdog. A candle-lit thriller with real-life Machiavellian power struggles; a sexy fast-paced period drama told with the same outrageous and iconoclastic mischief with which Aphra lived her life.
The series will lead us through the twisting alleys, debauched theatres, secret chapels and four-poster bedrooms of Restoration London. Her career, her love-life and the fate of the nation will all become thrillingly intertwined, as she’s forced to risk it all to stop her country from tearing itself apart. In a cloak-and-dagger city of duplicity, performances and lies – who can you trust?
developed WITH:
ORiGIN PICTURES
the doctors
blackwell
In 1845 the idea of a female doctor was a joke. There were more than forty medical schools across America... and every student, professor and janitor was a man. Pursuing any form of higher education would - those same doctors warned - turn women into literal freak shows, with shriveled bodies and monstrously oversized brains. But two renegade sisters were about to turn the joke on them.
Based on Janice P. Nimura's 2021 Pulitzer Prize nominated biography, this series tells the remarkable story of the Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, the women who fought to become America's first qualified female doctors. They weren't selfless saints or perfect, ‘you go girl’ feminist pin-ups - they were fascinating flawed and complicated women who were trying to change the world.
Set in New York during the tempestuous build-up to the American Civil War, this is a show about the joys and complexities of sisterhood - literal and metaphorical.
developed WITH:
anonymous content
JOan of arc
A peasant girl sets off on a quest to crown the King and save the country, succeeding with the help of three supernatural characters and her own incredible self-belief. It sounds more like the start of a best-selling YA novel than something torn out of a history book. Yet that's the incredible paradox at the heart of Joan's story - it's a fabulously twisted fairy tale... and every word of it is true.
We're going to break Joan free from the boxes she’s been crammed into in the past – saintly, delusional, religious zealot – and bring to life the real girl; the whip-smart, charismatic and gloriously defiant teenager who persuaded thousands of cynical and aggressively patriarchal men to follow her into battle.
This Joan doesn’t just piously take orders from God - she has complex and emotionally fraught relationships with her visions, and develops wildly intense feelings towards one of her fellow knights. Yes, Joan is history’s most famous virgin - but not having sex doesn't mean you can't lose your heart. An intoxicating depiction of Joan's inner world, this is a sexy, fast-paced show that combines the mischievous irreverence of The Favourite with the stylistic daring of Euphoria and Squid Game.
developed WITH:
Wall to wall
DRAWN TO TROUBLE
This is the punk rock story of how three penniless art students took on the establishment and beat them at their own game. Passionate friendships, fierce rivalries and debauched sexual liaisons – welcome to the extraordinary world of Britain’s most outrageous art forger.
Based on the real life of Eric Hebborn, DRAWN TO TROUBLE is the story of a gay, working class maverick who sent shockwaves through the international art scene. It's a wild ride of a film: from beatnik bars with David Hockney, to run-ins with the Italian Mafia, lavish parties with Peggy Guggenheim, and an intimate relationship with Anthony Blunt, the infamous art historian and secret Soviet spy.
At its heart, this is a story about friendship – the intoxicating, conspiratorial adventures that bind us together, the devastating betrayals that can last a lifetime, and the redemption that we’re all hoping to find from the people we love.
developED WITH:
ORiGIN PICTURES
AND THE BFI
APHRA
Libertine. Playwright. Royalist. Spy.