Dope Girls: BBC Saturday night drama that was touted as 'successor' to Peaky Blinders 'axed' after just one series

Dope Girls premiered on BBC One in February 2025, with the six-part series airing weekly in the Saturday night drama slot. The series had been touted as a “spiritual successor” to the massively popular Peaky Blinders but failed to impress viewers.

One unimpressed fan said at the time: “Managed 32 minutes of this new drama then called it a day. The new female Peaky Blinders it’s not. Poor lighting, weird camera angles, messy. I tried, but not for me.” Another added: “Think they were stoned when they made #DopeGirls. It's all over the place.”

It has now been reported that Dope Girls will not be returning to screens after failing to make a mark with viewers. A source told The Sun: "There was quite a lot of shock among viewers about the content of the show, and critics weren't exactly glowing either.

"Despite that the writers of the drama had left a few storyline strands untied which could have easily led onto a second season.."

A spokesperson for the show later confirmed to the newspaper: “Dope Girls was a bold and groundbreaking series - which we are very proud of - but we can confirm that it will not return.”

Dope Girls followed the story of working-class housewive Kate Galloway, a character loosely inspired by historical figure Kate Meyrick, who made the journey from working-class housewife to ‘Night Club Queen’ and criminal in the aftermath of World War One. It was based on the non-fiction book Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground.

The show, which starred Julianne Nicholson in the main role, chronicled Kate’s ascension in the seedy underworld of Soho. Dope Girls also starred Eilidh Fisher, Eliza Scanlan, Umi Meyer, Geraldine James, Rory Fleck Byrne and Dustin Demri-Burns.