The price is right in Harlots, S1-2

Raunchy period drama Harlots (2017-current, Seasons 1 and 2 are only on Showmax) might be focussed on the commonplace business of prostitution in 1700s London, but its second instalment is looking towards a different world… thanks to a very different woman.

Movie star Liv Tyler joins as Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam, but while she isn’t a courtesan, she does share something in common with Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay), Emily (Holli Dempsey) and Lucy (Eloise Smith).

“She a very fancy British aristocrat, very well-off, very different from the world of the harlots,” explains Liv. “She has secrets and while she doesn’t want to harm many people, I do think that she wants to harm Lady Quigley (Lesley Manville). Over the years, Lady Quigley has come to her for money and she holds this power over Lady Fitz.”

“The storylines that emerge in Season 2 are amazing because they could not be more relevant to what’s happening now if we tried.” – Series co-creator Moira Buffini

Who’s the boss?

Lady Fitz isn’t a prostitute – that’s very clear from her arrival. But like the ladies of the night, she is very much controlled by a man… her brother The Marquess Of Blayne (Julian Rhind-Tutt). “That may be part of her secret,” adds Liv. “She has money but she has no access to it. She has a title but without her brother, it is meaningless. She has servants yet she needs to ask permission to basically do anything. She is as controlled as the harlots themselves.”

But there is more to her than meets the eye, explains series co-creator Moira Buffini. “We really are telling the story of a whole society through these really socially mobile women. That’s one of the most extraordinary things about the sex industry, that a girl from a humble background can find herself highly elevated very quickly… and the other way around too.”

Brothel madam Lydia Quigley having leverage over Lady Fitz gives her access to the high-society world where she will be able to make a quick buck or two with her courtesans.

“It’s all about money and this power they have over men,” says Moira. “The storylines that emerge in Season 2 are amazing because they could not be more relevant to what’s happening now if we tried. Can a harlot ever have justice when justice is decided by a man? It’s still so relevant when you think about how difficult it is to prosecute a man for assault or rape.”

It’s not even that deep – just the control aspect is enough to make women around the world unite in arms and threaten to burn down their controlling other halves. “Look at Lady Fitz: she is under the constant scrutiny of her brother. Even her friendships are investigated before she may continue them,” says Liv.

Secrets creep out

While it’s not directly implied at first, there is a hint that Lady Fitz and her brother may be more than just siblings. What hints at that?

“When Lydia’s courtesans attend a high-society party thrown by The Marquess, Charlotte catches his eye and Lady Fitz immediately takes a disliking to her.

“I don’t always think that it’s a rule that if there are women involved that women are going to be treated better,” says Jessica. While they soon become allies in their fight against Lydia, there is always this nervous, almost walking-on-egg shells around each other as if something could jump out of the shadows and attack them.

“They don’t trust each other with some things,” says Liv. “But when it comes to taking down brothel boss Lydia, they both have their own motivations. For Charlotte, it’s a lot more clear-cut and simpler – she wants out of this life. For Lady Fitz, well, those secrets are going to become a whole lot clearer as the season progresses…”

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