The Devil's Whore 

Set between the years 1642 and 1660, "The Devil's Whore" charts the progress of the English Civil War through the eyes of a 17 year old girl, the fictional Angelica Fanshawe.

Creators:

Martine Brant, Peter Flannery

Stars:

Andrea Riseborough, Dominic West, Tom Goodman-Hill

8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Andrea Riseborough	...	Angelica Fanshawe 4 episodes, 2008
Dominic West	...	Oliver Cromwell 4 episodes, 2008
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	John Lilburne 4 episodes, 2008
John Simm	...	Edward Sexby 4 episodes, 2008
Maxine Peake	...	Elizabeth Lilburne 4 episodes, 2008
Michael Fassbender	...	Thomas Rainsborough 4 episodes, 2008
Tim McInnerny	...	Joliffe 3 episodes, 2008
Peter Capaldi	...	King Charles I 3 episodes, 2008
Rob van Vuuren	...	The Devil 3 episodes, 2008
Adrian Schiller	...	John Thurloe / ... 2 episodes, 2008
Al Weaver	...	Christian 2 episodes, 2008
Peter Terry	...	Commons Speaker 2 episodes, 2008
David Sherwood	...	Juxon Bishop Confessor 2 episodes, 2008

Storyline

During Oliver Cromwell's puritanical regicidal revolution, the fictional aristocratic manor lady Angelica Fanshawe follows her heart rather than political loyalty in the bloody conflict between royalists and Roundheads, and later among Crowell's triumphant, soon rivaling protestant followers. For love, she commits to several parties.

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Plot Keywords:

17th century | absolutism | king charles i | parliament | oliver cromwell | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Channel 4 [UK]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Mistress

Filming Locations:

Oak Valley, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Company Pictures, HBO Films, Power

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Gatiss had a interview for the role of John Thurloe.

User Reviews

Flimsy Flannery

Peter Flannery wrote one of the finest dramatic accounts of recent history, the epic television series 'Our Friends in the North', but sadly, his attempt to write about the English Civil War is a far inferior affair. To me, the essence of good historical drama is that it distances us from our own times, and allows us to see how others could have held positions that seem to us indefensible; but 'The Devil's Whore' invents a fictitious female heroine, beautiful and anachronistically feisty (and involved in a story line that could have been borrowed from 'Thelma and Lousie'!) who seems to exist for the sole purpose of allowing us to judge the past through a modern pair of eyes. The writer also clearly wanted a share of the market for posh-frock romances, and the possibility of a happy end, while also putting this unlikely figure on the "right" side of the conflict - hence, wholly implausibly, our heroine is rendered as an aristocratic Leveller. The drama's general sympathy for the Levellers (and associated proto-socialist movements) is also overdone, in that the characters with attractive politics are consistently shows to be morally superior, and more likable, than those without. Against, the contrast with 'Our Friends', whose general sympathies for the Labour cause did not reduce the story to a black and white tale, is clear. The only really interesting character in this story is the Charles I, knowledge of whose execution perhaps invokes a certain involuntary sympathy on the part of the viewer, and who is suavely played by Peter Capaldi. But overall, 'The Devils Whore' is part Hollywood narrative , part Jane Austen and a sprinkling of socialism: an odd combination, and a disappointment compared with Flannery's best.