Irish actor Chris O'Dowd is to star opposite Romola Garai, Gillian Anderson and Richard E Grant in a BBC adaptation of Michael Faber's bestselling book 'The Crimson Petal and the White'.
A psychological thriller set in Victorian London, the four-part adaptation also stars Shirley Henderson and Mark Gatiss and has begun filming.
'The Crimson Petal and the White' tells the story of Sugar (Garai), a young sex worker who becomes the mistress of a wealthy businessman, William Rackham (O'Dowd), and "sets a series of events in motion that will change their lives forever".
David Thompson, producer for Origin Pictures, said: "Origin Pictures is thrilled to be bringing to screen this extraordinary, sexually-charged story which will certainly shake up the audience's perceptions of conventional period drama. I'm delighted we've assembled such a striking cast and such a bold and imaginative director [Marc Munden, 'The Devil's Whore, ''The Mark of Cain']."
