Exclusive: The BBC is delving into the history of Soho’s criminal underworld for its next big-budget drama series.

Dope Girls will be a six-part series from His Dark Materials producer Bad Wolf for BBC One.

Our sources say the BBC sees Dope Girls as a spiritual successor to Peaky Blinders, and Bad Wolf is understood to be in early stage discussions with U.S. co-production partners and global streaming services.

Polly Stenham and Alex Warren (Eleanor) are writing Dope Girls, which is inspired by Marek Kohn’s non-fiction book Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground.

Full plot details haven’t been revealed but we understand it follows the birth of the nightclub scene in London’s Soho. The series will mix elements of the fact-based research of Kohn’s book with fictional characters and storylines, exploring all aspects of the criminal...