Fanny Hill (TV serial)
| Fanny Hill | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Costume drama |
| Based on |
Fanny Hill by John Cleland |
| Screenplay by | Andrew Davies |
| Directed by | James Hawes |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Cinematography | James Aspinall |
| Editor(s) | Sue Wyatt |
| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
BBC Sally Head Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Four |
| Original release | 22 October – 29 October 2007 |
Fanny Hill is a BBC adaptation of John Cleland's controversial novel, Fanny Hill, written by Andrew Davies and directed by James Hawes. This is the first television adaptation of the novel. Fanny Hill was broadcast in October 2007 on BBC Four, in two episodes. Fanny Hill tells the story of a young country girl (Rebecca Night) who is lured into prostitution in 18th century London.
On 30 December 2005, Hannah Jones from the Western Mail reported that Andrew Davies would start writing a television adaptation of John Cleland's 18th century novel Fanny Hill the following year. Davies called the project "a labour of love", but thought the novel was entertaining and perfect for his style of adaptation, as it contains "some very racy bits". In May 2006, Ben Dowell from The Guardian stated that Fanny Hill had been commissioned by BBC Fiction Controller Jane Tranter, and it would be produced by Sally Head through her own production company. Davies admitted to having doubts as to whether a television adaptation would ever be commissioned. He expressed his delight at introducing a new audience to the novel, while executive producer Eleanor Moran commented "Andrew's adaptation brings out the joie de vivre of the novel, and is full of his trademark good humour and naughty wit."
Fanny Hill was directed by James Hawes, who previously directed Davies's The Chatterley Affair. Hawes shot between five and eight minutes of screentime in a day, which was double the norm. He said it was a challenging shoot because of the limited budget. Hawes explained that the budget was half what it would have been if the show aired on BBC One, forcing the crew to think outside of the box. Filming lasted for four weeks.
While Fanny Hill had been adapted for several films, the miniseries marked the first time the novel had been adapted for television.Fanny Hill aired as part of BBC Four's 18th century season and was accompanied by two documentaries, including The Curse of Success which told the story of Cleland and how he believed Fanny Hill ruined his reputation.
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