Stars: Keeley Hawes, Rachael Stirling, John Bowe, Jodhi May, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville

Director: Geoffrey Sax

Summary: Set in the 1890's, this is the tale of music hall stars Kitty Butler and Nan Astley. An adaptation of the novel by Sarah Waters. The complete three part series.

TIPPING THE VELVET is a slightly raunchy drama from the BBC that more than anything is a passionate love story between two Victorian women. Set in the 1890s, it follows the rise of Kity Butler, a male impersonator in the musical halls and her devoted dresser Nan. When Kitty ends their affair, Nan drifts into the seedy sexual underworld of Victorian London but winds up destitute, alone and about to face the biggest decision of her life.

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Screenwriter Andrew Davies describes Tipping the Velvet, his adaptation of Sarah Waters's acclaimed novel of lesbian love, betrayal and redemption in Victorian England, as "Pride and Prejudicewith dirty bits". This three-part BBC production chronicles with relish the story of Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling, the ravishing image of her mother, Diana Rigg), barely 18, and certain that life holds more for her than her oyster girl's existence. "You'll meet someone who'll have your head spinning and your legs turning to jelly", her sister promises. That someone surprisingly turns out to be "gay and bold" Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a music-hall entertainer with whom Nan falls instantly, and swooningly, in love. Nan follows her to London, where, as a double act, they become the toast of London, until Kitty's "marriage of convenience" breaks up the act and Nan's heart. The outcast Nan, decked out in Victor/Victoria duds, becomes a streetwalker, and then "tart" to the aptly named Diana Leatherby (Anna Chancellor). This affair, too, comes to "a bad end" as a destitute Nan is deposited back on the streets, where she insinuates herself into the lives of Florence (Jodhi May), a social worker, and her socialistbrother.

Is Nan "too spoiled and stained for love"? Will she risk her blossoming relationship with Florence when Kitty inevitably returns to rekindle their affair? Nan's couplings, while tastefully done, do carry what Waters calls "a queer erotic charge". They are graphic by BBC standards. But the sterling writing and performances will captivate even the most sensitive viewers, making this groundbreaking mini-series, to quote one character, "a delightful evening... a rare treat". --Donald Liebenson

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interviews With Andrew Davies And Sarah Waters, Stills Gallery
Year:	2002
Release Date:	July 12, 2004
Runtime:	185 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C T D 10110
Label:	Sally Head
Keywords:	Velvet, General, Wide, Screen, Tv, Drama, Tipping
Genre:	Drama