The Devil's Whore
A fictional journey through the English Civil War.
A four-part Channel 4 drama from 2008, The Devil's Whore (retitled The Devil's Mistress in North America) was produced by Company Pictures. Written by Peter Flannery, who started the script in 1997, it follows the fictional Angelica Fanshawe and the real Leveller soldier Edward Sexby from 1636 to 1660 during the English Civil War. A sequel, New Worlds, aired in 2014.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Historical drama
- Creator
- Peter Flannery
- Director
- Marc Munden
- Starring
- Andrea Riseborough
- John Simm
- Michael Fassbender
- Dominic West
- Tim McInnerny
- Peter Capaldi
- Composer
- Murray Gold
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 4
Facts from the source article.
Reception
Critical reception was positive, though some critics noted the omission of certain historical figures and events, such as John Pym, the Earl of Bedford, Sir Thomas Fairfax, Sir Denzil Holles, Edward Hyde, Sir John Hutchinson, Henry Ireton and the Bishops' Wars, as well as the fictionalisation of others, including the suggestion that Cromwell orchestrated Rainsborough's death, that Rainsborough rather than Sexby was a close friend of Cromwell, Sexby's going to Ireland and losing his arm, and Sexby's assassination attempt on Cromwell. The first episode received positive reviews. Nancy Banks-Smith of The Guardian praised Capaldi's performance and called the drama "rollicking", "well written and acted" and marked by "a quite serious attempt to explain the underlying issues". The Telegraph also praised Capaldi, along with the lack of anachronisms and the treatment of the era's sexual politics. The Independent described it as "bodice-rippingly melodramatic" and noted a tension between Flannery's desire to include real political fact and the requirement for sexual tension and historical glamour. The Times called it "a curious beast – mannered and theatrical, with modern-looking faces speaking period dialogue in an historical dreamscape" and "If not entirely successful, ... the best sort of failure – unusual, brave and fascinating". Another Times critic criticised "slightly too much reading history backwards here, almost making Angelica look like a modern woman travelled back in time" and its "frankly unnecessary bedroom scenes", while praising the episode as "gripping", "cutting" and "lively" and noting that Simm played Sexby "strikingly". The Radio Times noted it as "an intelligent, richly textured labour of love". John Adamson, a non-stipendiary by-fellow in History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, criticised the series as "a cartoon-strip version of the Civil War".
Awards and nominations
The series earned a Best Drama Series prize at the 2009 Broadcasting Press Guild Television and Radio Awards, where Andrea Riseborough also took Best Actress. Michele Clapton’s work was honoured with a BAFTA for Best Costume Design. At the 2009 Royal Television Society Programme Awards, it won Drama Serial, Female Actor for Riseborough, and Writing: Drama for Peter Flannery. That same year, Julian Court won for Photography in Drama at the RTS Craft & Design Awards, while Nadine Prigge was nominated for Make Up Design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The Devil's Whore?
The Devil's Whore stars Andrea Riseborough, John Simm, Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Tim McInnerny and Peter Capaldi.
When did The Devil's Whore first air?
The Devil's Whore first aired on 19 November 2008.
When did The Devil's Whore end?
The Devil's Whore last aired on 10 December 2008.
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