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SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL
How Fanny Hill,
one of history’s most infamous novels, finally made it to the small screen
Its subtitle, ‘Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure’, is a bit of a giveaway. Fanny Hill, written by John Cleland in 1748 while lan- guishing in debtors’ prison, is, not surprisingly, regarded as the original erotic novel. Down the
centuries, starting as early as just a year after its original publication when it was charged with “corrupting the King’s subjects”, the book has regular- ly been the target of disapproving powers-that-be.
Since the 1960s, there has been the occasional sexploitation film version,
falls into prostitution in bawdy 18th Century London. Forced to take a suc- cession of lovers to survive, she slow- ly rises to respectability but only after wholeheartedly enjoying the fruits of her labours.
Directed by James Hawes, the cast also includes Alison Steadman, Hugo Speer, Samantha Bond and another young actor, Alex Robertson, as Fanny’s one true love, Charles.
Describing it as a “baptism of fire”, first time producer Nigel Marchant says the book is “now regarded as a classic. There is fantastic lyricism,
almost poetry... metaphor upon metaphor for...” well, put more delicately, love-making.
“You could see the appeal in there for Andrew who loves a good romp. There’s great joy in Fanny unlike other books of the period like, say, Moll Flanders. She enjoys it and kind of gets away with it – so good for her!”
To be transmitted as two one-hours, Fanny Hill filmed dur- ing the summer entirely on loca- tion using the likes of Marble Hill, Harpsden Manor, Luton Hoo, Langley Park and Spitalfields.
According to Hawes, reunit- ed with DP James Aspinall with whom
he’d previously collaborated on The Chatterley Affair, A Line In The Sand and Without Motive: “It was tough. There’s obviously much less of the architecture about. We barely could afford to go exterior at all. BBC Four is a fantastic place to make films in that they allow you one-offs and a little more latitude than many of the main channels can or do.
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but now, finally, she’s about to make her TV debut on BBC Four in an adaptation by Andrew Davies. He notes, “Fanny Hill is a book I have enjoyed a lot over the years but I never thought would be commissioned. I am delighted we will be able to introduce the audience to the novel’s great literary qualities as well as its more erotic moments.”
Newcomer Rebecca Night plays Fanny, the young country girl who
Photo inset: DP James Aspinall and Director James Hawes on the set of Fanny Hill main: Hawes and Aspinall with Rebecca Night as Fanny Hill and Alex Robertson as Charles
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