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  • BBC Two

Tipping the Velvet

  • 2002
  • Ended
  • Drama
  • ~1h / ep
  • 1 season
  • 6.9/10

A tempestuous tale of love and life as a naïve girl discovers both romance and pain in the hidden, decadent world of bohemian London in the 1890s. Nan Astley embarks on a voyage of emotional and sexual discovery with Kitty Butler, a music hall male impersonator.

Latest: Season 1 · 2002

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  1. E1. Episode 1

    Dec 9, 2002 · 59m

    The glamorous world of the 19th -century music hall provides the backdrop for Nan's first love affair with Kitty Butler, a popular male impersonator. When Kitty is offered the chance to perform in London, a delighted Nan accompanies her as a dresser, but true success doesn't happen until Nan becomes part of the act.

  2. E2. Episode 2

    Dec 16, 2002 · 59m

    Alone and devastated by her betrayal, Nan cannot return to her family in Whitstable so takes to the streets to survive. In her guise as a male impersonator, she finds a niche in the Victorian sexual underworld and is also drawn into the web of a rich Sapphic society widow who offers sex, excitement and luxury but at a perilous price.

  3. E3. Episode 3

    Dec 23, 2002 · 60m

    Diana throws out Nan and Blake and Blake disappears with all of the money leaving a totally destitute Nan. The only person she can think to turn to ends up unwelcoming to her. So begins a very different phase for Nan, which leads ultimately to her making the most important decision of her life...

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