Dope Girls star Julianne Nicholson teases the illicit period saga

Julianne Nicholson wearing angel wings as Kate Galloway in Dope Girls.

Widow Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) is drawn into the melting pot of life in 1918 Soho in Dope Girls. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

Dope Girls follows a spirited widow who joins the criminal underworld to secure a new life for her family.

The six-part BBC One drama, starting on Saturday at 9.15pm, is set in 1918, as World War One concludes. It centres on headstrong Kate Galloway, played by Mare of Easttown and Paradise star Julianne Nicholson, who is evicted from her home in the countryside following her husband’s shocking death.

With nowhere to go, cash-strapped Kate and her unsettled teenage daughter Evie (The Power’s Eilidh Fisher), who has been at boarding school, head to Soho, the decadent heart of London’s nightlife. There, they track down Billie Cassidy (Bob Marley: One Love’s Umi Myers), Kate’s estranged older daughter, who works as a dancer at an underground club.

Kate soon decides to set up her own bohemian club catering for those who are ready to party after the dark days of war. But the police are hell-bent on cleaning up the lawless Soho streets, however, and troubled Violet Davies (Home & Away's Eliza Scanlen), one of the first female officers, is sent undercover there. Meanwhile, sinister gangsters the Saluccis, led by matriarch Isabella (This Town’s Geraldine James), also bring danger…

Here, Julianne Nicholson tells What to Watch about Dope Girls…

Eliza Scanlen as Violet, Julianne Nicholson as Kate, Eilidh Fisher as Evie and Umi Myers as Billie in bohemian clothes stand in a shabby room in Dope Girls. — Violet (Eliza Scanlen), Kate (Julianne Nicholson), Evie (Eilidh Fisher) and Billie (Umi Myers) all tread a dangerous path in Dope Girls. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

Dope Girls is your first British TV drama since you moved to the UK. What appealed to you?

“I’m so lucky that this is my first job here! The world jumped off the page and it’s a fascinating story I didn’t know about. I've never been given the opportunity to play a role like Kate. From where she starts to where she ends up is exciting.”

What are her relationships like with her daughters?

“Coming to London is about survival and Billie is the one person Kate can reach out to. Kate’s desire to connect with her has always been a constant. It’s a complicated relationship but they need each other. And Kate loves Evie too. Evie’s dealing with grief after her father’s death though, and confusion and untruths swirl around…”

Umi Myers wearing a crown and spiky bra top as Billie stands with Julianne Nicholson in angel wings as Kate in Dope Girls. — Billie (Umi Myers) and Kate (Julianne Nicholson) have a troubled reunion. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

Eilidh Fisher as Evie and Julianne Nicholson as Kate both in black stand together in Dope Girls. — Evie (Eilidh Fisher) becomes part of a colourful but perilous new world when mum Kate (Julianne Nicholson) brings her to London. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

How does Kate feel about joining the Soho underworld?

“The presence of the Salucci family is scary and there’s a fear about keeping Evie safe. But it's exciting. Being in a place with colour, life and creativity stirs something in Kate that’s not been there for decades. She sees this as a path to a different life she could thrive in.”

Geraldine James in a fur stole as Isabella Salucci in Dope Girls. — Gangland matriarch Isabella Salucci (Geraldine James) proves a threat. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

What challenges does Kate face as she sets up her own club?

“Everyone’s welcome and it’s a business venture but also a creative place. But a lot comes her way that she has to deal with, there are revelations that change things, and then Violet starts working there… There are questions as to whether the club will work, but I love the idea of Kate eventually dominating the whole city.”

The drama is inspired by Marek Kohn’s non-fiction book Dope Girls, detailing the female infiltration of London’s nightlife at the time and the growing drugs trade. Have you found this an interesting period to explore?

“Yes, at the end of the war there’s relief and joy. But women had been in the workplace and had independence, so what happens now the men come back and need those jobs? There's going to be a conflict… Marek’s book is fascinating. But the drama isn’t a strictly historical depiction of that time, it's a fantasy of the era, which is colourful, bohemian and a view I've not seen before. Having women take over the nightlife is amazing. And I love that we also see the introduction of the first female police officers.”

Eliza Scanlen in a green jacket as Violet in Dope Girls. — Violet (Eliza Scanlen) is one of London's first female police officers and is sent undercover into Soho. (Image credit: BBC and Bad Wolf)

And what do you hope audiences will love about the show?

“This doesn't feel like a straightforward historical show. It’s taking this period but turning it upside down. I've never worked on anything like it. It's a dark world but there are moments of lightness, humour, joy and shock that allow us to invest more and keep us on our toes!”

Dope Girls begins on Saturday 22 February on BBC One at 9.15pm and the whole season will be available on the same day on BBC iPlayer as a box-set. We will share details of the US release when that is announced.