Harlots / Characters

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Wells Household

Margaret Wells

Played by: Samantha Morton

The Bus Came Back: After Justice Hunt has her transported to America, she returns a year later with a new husband, Jonas Young.
Childhood Friends: She and Nancy have been close friends since they were young girls in Lydia's house.
Death Faked for You: Justice Hunt was ordered to execute her for George Howard's murder, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he arranged for her to be taken to America in secret while lying about her death.
Happily Married: It is unclear whether or not she and William are legally married, but they're committed and happy. They get into a fight in the season 2 premier after Margaret accuses him of infidelity, but later get back together.
- In season 3 she returns to London legally married to a man named Jonas Young, who knows all about her past (apart from Will) and loves her anyway.
He Who Fights Monsters: As the first season goes on, she starts becoming more and more like her hated rival, Lydia Quigley, in her quest to become wealthy and successful. In the end, she can't bring herself to put Amelia Scanwell in danger to save herself, meaning deep down she's not as ruthless as Lydia.
Indentured Servitude: When she's transported to America. She eventually married her employer and convinced him to get him to take her back to London. Jonas himself had once been indentured.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Maggie is... flawed. To say the least. But she's trying to do right by her children and genuinely cares about the girls that work for her.
Mama Bear: Very protective of her family, even going as far to strangle an already-dying Sir George to make it her crime instead of Lucy's.
Parental Abandonment: When she was a little girl, her mother sold her to Lydia Quigley for a pair of shoes.
Parental Favoritism: While she does love Charlotte and Jacob, Lucy is her top priority.
Parents as People: As much as she loves her daughters, she had to introduce them to sex work because she had no other way of providing them with security.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: William is a good and honest man who adores her and her children. Jonas, her new husband, is just as kind. Say what you want about her, but she has pretty good taste in guys.
Taking You with Me: Attempted. In season 2, she confesses to George Howard's murder, claiming she killed him when she found him attacking Lucy. With Lord Fallon now unable to blackmail her, Margaret hoped to have him brought to justice for stabbing Amelia and protect Lucy from him. Unfortunately, Lucy, unaware of what's really going on, give Fallon a false alibi, nullifying Margaret's sacrifice. At least, she would have if Margaret had actually died.
We Used to Be Friends: Subverted. At first all we know is that Lydia Quigley, her most hated rival, was once her employer and surrogate mother, so this appears to be the case. As more details about their relationship are revealed, it become clear that it was troubled (at best) from the start, considering the fact that Quigley auctioned off her virginity at the age of 10 at least. Once Margaret grew old enough to escape her, she fled.

Lucy Wells

Played by: Eloise Smyth

Attractive Bent-Gender: She goes out in men's clothing to advertise the new Wells-Harvey "tailoring house" and gets a very good reception from the men around her. May have something to do with the fact that she also does a strip tease. Even the gay Fredo notes she's actually quite fetching as a man.
The Beard: Lucy pretends to be the mistress of one of the gay men who frequents her mollyhouse. Being gay is a capital crime in Georgian England, so she helps him hide his sexuality for his own safety. He's actually in a relationship with Lucy's business partner, Fredo, which she is aware of.
Beware the Quiet Ones: She stabs George Howard for trying to rape her. Later, when she learns of Lord Fallon's role in her mother's "death", Nancy has to physically hold Lucy back from killing him.
Break the Cutie: Starts off the series relatively sheltered, but after her virginity is auctioned off, things take a sharp turn for the worse. This is largely the result of Lord Repton violently raping her, leaving her visibly traumatized and unable to handle her job as a harlot.
Chastity Dagger: She had a small knife on her bed because she was eating in her room and used it to stab Sir George when he tried to rape her.
Dominatrix: Near the end of season one Lucy is taught the artform by Nancy, which she then takes to naturally compared to traditional sex work.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She's blonde and one of the sweetest, most innocent characters.
Heroic BSoD: After getting the news about Margaret's supposed death.
The Ingenue: Which is why she is so not cut out for being a harlot.
Innocence Lost: After official becoming a harlot, Lucy gradually becomes more savvy, but also much more cynical. She especially grows to hate the men who hire her.
Freak Out: Fatally stabs Sir George when he tries to force himself on her.
Locked Out of the Loop: In the later half of season 2, she's preoccupied with Lord Fallon while the others are plotting his downfall. She gives Fallon a false alibi for stabbing Amelia, unaware that Margaret had resigned herself to death only because she planned to have Fallon swinging from a noose next to her.
The Mistress: In season 2, she officially accepts Lord Fallon as her keeper. Unbeknownst to her, Lord Fallon is planning to use her as hostage to keep her mother from reporting the Spartans to the authorities.
My God, What Have I Done?: Deeply regrets telling Lord Fallon that she killed George Howard and giving him an alibi for Amelia's stabbing after learning all the trouble that she causes by doing so.
Shrinking Violet: Possibly due to her mother's coddling, Lucy is shy and unsure of herself. Compared to the other girls, she's hopeless when it comes to flattering or seducing men — at least at first.
Stepford Smiler: She eventually becomes one of the most popular and sought-after harlots in London, but still doesn't come to enjoy her job. In fact she tries to make herself less appealing to men by charging high rates and making them perform ridiculous stunts before they can have sex her with her, but it doesn't work. Lucy learns to put on a sensual, flirtatious act in front of culls, but in truth she really hates them.

Charlotte Wells

Played by: Jessica Brown Findlay

Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Isaac Pincher. They hate each other, but are strongly attracted to each other.
Calling the Old Man Out:
- Yells at her mother for auctioning off her virginity when she was a child and trying to force her to stay with George Howard permanently.
- Gives an even harsher one after Margaret sells Lucy to Sir George. She blames her mother for Lucy stabbing him.
Cool Big Sis: Charlotte dotes on Lucy and frequently gives her advice on being a harlot.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: The Pincher brothers accidentally knock her off a balcony while fighting, and Charlotte falls to her death. She clings to life for a short while after falling, and Kate comforts her in her last moments.
High-Class Call Girl: She's the mistress of Sir George Howard, though she doesn't enjoy it.
The Lost Lenore: For Isabella and Isaac after her death in season 3.
Ms. Fanservice: Is there any time when she isn't?
Rape as Drama: George rapes her as punishment for "disrespecting" him.
- In season 2 she works with Isabella to save a young girl from being raped in Lydia Quigley's house. They fail.
The Mole: In the first season's finale, she pretends to join in with Lydia Quigley because she wants to take Quigley down from the inside.
Take Up My Sword: Charlotte takes over the brothel after her mother is "executed" (in truth, transported to America).
The Unfavorite: She often feels this way, especially after Margaret asks her to take the blame for Lucy stabbing George Howard.
Wrongfully Accused: Her sister and mother kill George Howard, but she's the one who gets arrested for it.

William North

Played by: Danny Sapani

The Creon: He's Margaret's second, and perfectly contented with that position.
Good Parents: To Jacob. He's also the closest thing Lucy and Charlotte have to a father.
Happily Married: It's not clear if they're legally married, but he and Margaret are committed and happy together. They get into a fight in the season 2 premier after Margaret accuses him of infidelity, but later get back together.
Honest Advisor: He is both Margaret's lover and business partner, and doesn't hesitate to say what he thinks about her personal and professional decisions.
Missing Mom: His mother left him at a hospital when he was a baby and never came back, though she did leave him an Orphan's Plot Trinket. The weighs heavily on him, though he doesn't show it often. When Margaret is sentenced to execution, he's devastated over the fact that Jacob will have to grow up without his mother.
Only Sane Man: He consistently has his head on right while everyone else is caught up in their own dilemmas.
Open-Minded Parent: He teases Charlotte after she sleeps with Lady Fitz, but doesn't have any problem with it. Justified, given that he's married to a bawd and works in a brothel — any sort of prejudice wouldn't last long there.
Papa Wolf: When he sees George Howard bleeding, William immediately deduces that he tried to rape Lucy and throttles him. However, when he sees how distraught Lucy is, he promptly tosses Howard aside and focuses on comforting her.
Parental Substitute: Charlotte and Lucy's fathers aren't around, but William more than picks up the slack. They even call him "Pa." Jonas lampshades it in Season Three, when he says that all of Margaret's children have different fathers.
Jonas: Three fathers. But only one Pa.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Margaret accuses him for cheating on her with Harriet, William is so insulted that he leaves the brothel for several episodes. They do make up, however.
Where da White Women At?: He's black and his long-term lover is a white woman. They have a son together and he also plays a fatherly role to her two daughters. They run into some prejudice, especially from the upper echelons of society, but no one at Greek Street (or indeed, anyone the audience is supposed to like) has a problem with it.

Jacob Wells North

Played by: Jordan A. Nash

Cheerful Child: He mostly seems like a happy, carefree boy.
From the Mouths of Babes: He parrots bits of business-talk he's heard from his parents, but it's unclear if he genuinely understands what he's saying. Other than that, he seems like a well-adjusted kid, all things considered.
Son of a Whore: Son of a madame, though unlike the others, his father is there and his parents are in a committed relationship.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Naturally as he lives in a brothel, he often recites his parents' introductions and advertisements to the culls. They just find it funny.

Fanny Lambert

Played by: Bronwyn James

Big Beautiful Woman: She's rather large, but she’s confident and can find clients just as well as anybody. Margaret even says she's her best girl in season 2.
Big Fun: Her jolly, outgoing attitude makes her beloved by her clients and co-workers, though she gets more serious in season 3 with her responsibilities as a mother and Greek Street’s new bawd.
Have a Gay Old Time: Probably not a coincidence her name is slang for vagina in modern-day Britain.
The Lad-ette: She's quite shamelessly crude and enjoys her work.
My Secret Pregnancy: She's heavily pregnant at the end of season 1 but no one notices because she's already huge.
Take Up My Sword: With Charlotte dead and Margaret going back to America, she becomes the new bawd of Greek Street in season 3.
Tragic Bromance: She and Kitty were close friends before Kitty's murder. Fanny is deeply shaken and spends the entire second season trying find Kitty's killer.

Kitty Carter

Played by: Lottie Tollhurst

Child by Rape: She had a daughter after being raped as a teenager.
Defiled Forever: After becoming pregnant out of wedlock, she had no choice but to turn to prostitution to support herself and her baby.
Due to the Dead: After her murder, Kitty is mourned by those who knew her. Margaret sews her throat back together so her body will be presentable for the funeral. The other girls pitch in to support her daughter. Fanny even renames her own daughter Kitty in her honor. And a good part of season 2 is devoted to finding Kitty's killer and bringing him to justice.
Missing Mom: She's not allowed to keep her daughter with her at the brothel, so she has to settle for financially supporting her from a distance.
The Smart Guy: Her ability to manage the house's accounts makes her valuable to Margaret.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Her corpse is left on the steps of the Wells household by the Spartans at the end of Season Two's first episode as a warning to Margaret.

Quigley Household

Lydia Quigley

Played by: Lesley Manville

Break the Haughty: At the end of season 2, Charles has her committed to Bedlam to stop her from helping the Spartans, even though she's perfectly sane. So now she's trapped in an asylum without any of her money and no contact with her allies. Even after her escape, she returns to Golden Square only learn that Charles fled debt collectors. A stranger owns the house, Lucy is there, and she gets the door shut in her face.
Embarrassing Nickname: After Margaret convinces everyone that Lydia's former harlot Mary Cooper caught the French pox working in her brothel, Lydia gets the derisive nickname "Dame Death".
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Genuinely loves her son Charles and avoids hurting him no matter what he does. She even develops a twisted affection for Charlotte as if she were her own daughter, even after Charlotte reveals herself to be The Mole and tries to strangle her. Lydia is genuinely distraught after Charlotte's death. Additionally, she loves Kate enough to murder Mrs. May for her.
Evil Matriarch: The twisted mother figure to Margaret, Nancy and just about every girl she takes in.
Evil Old Folks: She's as cold-hearted as she is elderly. Not only does she abuse the girls working for her, she kidnaps virgins for a group of violent aristocrats known as the Spartans who enjoy defiling and brutalizing them.
Faux Affably Evil: Keeps her calm, dainty, polite, lady-like demeanor as she's brutalizing others, until she snaps.
Fate Worse than Death: The fate of most girls she recruits, having them raped and keeping them trapped and controlled. She gets on the receiving end of this at the season 2 finale, where she's sent to an insane asylum.
Female Misogynist: Objectifies the girls in her house to absolute passive sex dolls, to fit male fantasies. And that's without mentioning her throwing young girls to the Spartans to be raped and murdered.
Freudian Excuse: She was sexually abused by her own father, starting when she was 7, and says it made her what she is. Then she was further abused and sexually exploited by Mrs. May. Charlotte asks if she gets power from inflicting the same abuse on her girls.
Gilded Cage: Golden Square is this for the girls she forces to work as whores. Even if they choose to, she showers them in luxuries that force them to be indebted to her.
He's Back!: An extended one. Her arc in the first half of season 3 has her escaping Bedlam, regaining her viciousness, and getting back in action as a cutthroat bawd.
Makeup Is Evil: She is fond of very heavy face powder and lipstick.
Mama Bear: She wants to kill Emily Lacey for overdosing her son on laudanum.
Light Is Not Good: Appropriate for what's fashionable during the period, she's all over this. A face caked with white powder, a white powdered wig, wears pastel pink gowns, has all her girls and decor dressed up similarly.
Parental Abandonment: She's had an unknown number of children, but Charles is the only one she kept.
Parental Substitute: She used to be one for Margaret Wells, but now they're bitterly estranged.
- Later, in season 2, she thinks she's this for Charlotte, who is just pretending to be loyal to her.
- Then in season 3, she becomes this to Kate, who had been abandoned and disowned by her family. Kate changes her last name to "Quigley" and Lydia publicly introduced Kate as her daughter.
Sanity Slippage: Bedlam has not been kind to her. By season 3 she's ragged and pitiful, just doing her best to avoid getting in trouble with her guards. And she fears she's genuinely gone insane.
Silver Vixen: A rare villainous example, she's noted to be highly attractive despite her age. She even has the new head judge sleeping with her in season 2.

Charles Quigley

Played by: Douggie McMeekin

Camp Straight: He doesn't seem to be gay, what with his romance with Emily Lacey, but the foppish clothes and attitude really do make you wonder.
Fat Bastard: Downplayed, he's antagonistic but really just too much of wuss to defy his mum's orders.
Conflicting Loyalty: Between his mother, Lydia, and his lover, Emily Lacey.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The giant, fat guy to Emily's waifish tiny girl.
Mama's Boy: He's largely under his mother's thumb and helps her run the brothel without complaint. That is, until he falls for Emily Lacey.
Put on the Bus: In season 3, after putting Golden Square into deep debt, he runs from London to avoid being sent to debtor's prison.
Questionable Consent: He "samples" each new girl that joins his mother's brothel, but they're not exactly in a position to say no.
Riches to Rags: After becoming the master of Golden Square in his own right, Charles eventually loses all his money and has to put it up for auction. He's even forced to flee London to avoid debtor's prison.
Son of a Whore: His mother is a high-class brothel madam and his father is unknown.
Tactful Translation: Provides one to his mother in the first episode, after Marie-Louise says to him (in French) "Why don't I just jump in the Thames and pull your bitch of a mother down with me?" He 'translates' it to Lydia as "She says that from now on she'll be the very spirit of joy."

Kate Quigley

Catherine "Kate" Quigley (née Bottomley)

Played by: Daisy Head

Because You Were Nice to Me: Her loyalty to Lydia stems from the fact that Lydia protected her in Bedlam and ultimately helped her escape.
Defiled Forever: She was sent to Bedlam after being caught having sex with a stable groom. There she befriended Lydia, who offered her a place at Golden Square once they got out.
I Have No Son!: Her family sends her to Bedlam because she was caught having pre-martial sex. After she escapes, they print her obituary.
Meaningful Rename: After her family disowns her, she changes her last name to "Quigley" because Lydia helped and sheltered her.
Morality Pet: To Lydia, who actually does seem to have developed a bit of care for the girl.
Naïve Newcomer: Having grown up in the countryside in a religious family, she's been relatively sheltered before being sent to Bedlam. Cherry even has to give her lessons on swearing.
Nice Girl: She's open, trusting, and kind.
Puppy-Dog Eyes: She has a beautiful pair of big, blue eyes, which add to her Naïve Newcomer vibe.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She tells Lydia that she'll always be grateful for everything she's done for her... but she is never living with her ever again. Lydia takes this unusually well.

Mrs. May

Played by: Anna Calder-Marshall

And There Was Much Rejoicing: Literally nobody cares when she dies. Lydia announces it with a sunny smile, and Elizabeth reacts with an absolutely overjoyed, "Oh, how awful!"
Character Death: Chokes to death in season 3.
Dirty Old Woman: She’s a bawd who makes many sexually provocative comments, even about children, and molests Charles when she meets him again.
Evil Old Folks: Older than Lydia and even colder.
Evil Mentor: Was one for Lydia. The abuse Lydia inflicts on her girls is the same kind Mrs. May inflicted on her.
Mama Bear: To Lydia, despite abusing her when she was young. Mrs. May threatens Charlotte after (correctly) guessing that she will betray Lydia.

Marie-Louise D'Aubigne

Played by: Poppy Corby-Tuech

Everything Sounds Sexier in French: Her shtick.In-universe, she's considered exotic because she's French.
Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: She frequently insults people to their faces in French. Including during sex with them.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She leaves Lydia's house for Margaret's in season 1, but then ditches Margaret as well.
Put on a Bus: She abandons Margaret Wells' house in between seasons 1 and 2, leaving her fifty pounds in debt.

Anne Pettifer

Played by: Ellie Heydon

Break the Haughty: She's put through hell in the year she's spent as Harcourt's mistress.
Defiled Forever: She was cast out by her family for running off a playboy who later presumably abandoned her.
The Dog Bites Back: After all the torment Harcourt put her through, she plays an important role in tearing down his reputation.
Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything she's been through, she's ultimately reunited with her baby son at the end. And though she can no longer be a sex worker because of her scar, as the mother of the current, infant Marquess of Blayne, she is set for life in any case.
Fallen Princess: Anne was born into wealth and privilege, but lost it all after an affair that ruined her reputation. She's still rather snobby due to her upbringing.
Jerkass: She isn't very nice to the other girls in Lydia's house. In particular, she has little sympathy for Emily Lacey after the latter is beaten by an abusive client.
Missing Mom: After having her son, Lord Fitzwilliam gets bored of her and sends her back to Lydia, keeping their child with him.
The Mistress: Eventually becomes the mistress of Harcount Fitzwilliam and gives birth to his child.
Scars Are Forever: Is given a nasty one on her right cheek courtesy of Harcourt, who has one of his minions brutally slash her in the face in an alley, while taking back the 500 pounds she received from Harcourt in exchange for handing her baby back to him, so that she can never again ply her trade as a courtesan.
Yes-Man: To Lydia. She's fully aware of the dark side of Lydia's business, but is still loyal and edger to do Lydia's bidding. She clearly becomes jealous after Charlotte replaces her as Lydia's favorite girl.

Birch Household (Defunct)

Nancy Birch

Played by: Kate Fleetwood

Butch Lesbian: Or bisexual; she's a masculine woman by 18th century standards, always seen wearing male clothes. She's also in love with Margaret.
Childhood Friend Romance: She kisses Margaret while saying goodbye before Margaret's scheduled execution and later outright tells Charlotte she's been in love with Margaret for years.
Childhood Friends: She and Margaret have been close friends since they were young girls in Lydia's house.
Dominatrix: She wears all black leather and performs kinky sex for those are inclined.
The Lad-ette: A rough, tough crossdressing Dominatrix.
Mama Bear: After taking in Emily Lacey, Nancy becomes protective of her. She rescues her from Lydia Quigley.
My God, What Have I Done?: She kills Isaac believing that he had murdered Charlotte, when he loved her and it was Hal who accidentally pushed her off.
Number Two: She's Margaret's right-hand woman.
What the Hell, Hero?: Gently reprimands Margaret for refusing to help Emily, reminding her of how awfully Lydia treated the both of them.
Wholesome Crossdresser: Wears male clothing and is a loyal, Reasonable Authority Figure.

Violet Cross

Played by: Rosalind Eleazar

Ambiguously Bi: Rare gender-inverted example. She's in love with Amelia, but is seen with multiple men. It's unclear if she's bisexual or simply takes male clients for business reasons.
Five-Finger Discount: In addition to being a harlot, she's a thief and pickpocket. She gets caught and branded in season 2 and, thanks to Amelia for pleading with Justice Hunt, has to work as Hunt's maid to avoid indentured servitude in the Americas.
Put on the Bus: She's not seen or mentioned in season 3.
Twofer Token Minority: She's black and attracted to other women.

Betsey Fletcher

Played by: Alexa Davies

The Alcoholic: Has a drinking problem.
Put on the Bus: She's absent from the second season. It's explained that she got the pox from a client.

Lacey Household (Defunct)

Emily Lacey

Played by: Holli Dempsey

Break the Haughty: Starts of the series very arrogant and vain. But then she's given over to an abusive client, starting a conflict with Lydia who later beats her bloody and casts her out into the streets. Emily Lacey tries to return to Margaret, but Margaret coolly rejects her.
Domestic Abuse: Her relationship with Hal goes sour in the latter half of Season Three, and he becomes possessive and borderline violent with her. Sadly, Emily loves him still, and defends him well beyond the point of any sort of reason.
Everyone Has Standards: While often mean-spirited and self-interested, she's horrified by the kind of things Lydia gets involve in.
Full-Name Basis: Everyone calls her Emily Lacey, as oppose to just Emily.
High-Class Call Girl: She initially worked for Margaret Wells, but joined Lydia Quigley's brothel and trained to be a more refined, elegant harlot.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Tiny girl to Charles' huge guy, though it doesn't stop her being dominant. After Charles abandons her, she has this with the tall, muscular Hal Pincher.
Jerkass: She can be quite nasty to those around her, especially other harlots.
Outliving One's Offspring: It's implied that she lost a child at one point.
Start My Own: After cutting ties with Lydia, she becomes the bawd of her own brothel, which she calls a "House of Exotics" because her harlots are all minorities. After Charles kicks her out she starts working for the Pincher brothers.
Took a Level in Kindness: She's still prickly, but she gradually becomes a better person.
Where da White Women At?: With Hal in season 3.
Working Off the Debt: Lydia charges her for her room, clothes, and whatever else she can think of so Emily Lacey can't leave her service.

Cherry Dorrington

Played by: Francesca Mills

I Did What I Had to Do: Admits she's only helping Lydia because its hard getting by on her own as a disabled woman.
The Mole: She's spying on Emily and Charles for Lydia.
Ship Tease: She appears to have a thing for Charles and is genuinely shocked when he abandons her.
Shorter Means Smarter: She's a little person and more clever than she lets on.
Token Minority: She capitalizes on men's fascination with the prospect of sleeping with a little person.

Limehouse Nell

Played by: Sheila Atim

Deadpan Snarker: She's very sarcastic, especially toward her coworkers.
Put on a Bus to Hell: She doesn't appear in season 3. According to Harriet, she was kidnapped and no one could find her.
Token Minority: She's a black woman, and Emily Lacey markets her as "exotic".

Noah Webster

Played by: Eric Kofi-Abrefa

The Big Guy: He's a skilled and ruthless fighter. Emily eventually hires him as the brothel's bully (guard).
Casanova Wannabe: He brags about his sexual prowess, but no woman in interested in sleeping with him without payment. Except Charlotte, during one instant when she was in the mood - she even paid him.
Dark and Troubled Past: Hinted at when he mentions that fighting comes easily to "a black boy raised in a white man's house".
Mock Millionaire: He pretends to be a wealthy trader as part of Charlotte and Isabella's plan to rescue a young virgin girl that Lydia had kidnapped to be raped by the highest bidder. The plan almost works, until Harcourt notices that Noah has a piece of jewelry belonging to Isabella, and Lydia deduces what's really going on.
Put on a Bus: Not seen or mentioned in season 3.

Lennox Household

Harriet Lennox

Played by: Pippa Bennett-Warner

Black Boss Lady: After starting her own brothel.
Black Gal on White Guy Drama:
- Her stepson resents her for being a former slave and doesn't consider her or her children (his half-siblings) as family.
- In season 3, one of her major clients turns out to be a slave owner with a fetish for black women. He’s also responsible for kidnapping Black British residents to become slaves, including her lover Jack and eventually Harriet as revenge for rejecting him. Fortunately they escape.
Dominatrix: When she makes her sex work debut, she acts as a dominant sex goddess; her callers love it.
Mama Bear: Wants nothing more than her children's safety and freedom.
Ship Tease: Starts to develop feelings for William after he helps get her children back. Margaret notices, accuses Harriet of sleeping with William, and kicks her out of her house.
Rags to Riches: She's a former slave who married a plantation owner and became the lady of a wealthy house.
- Riches to Rags: Once her husband dies, her stepson kicks her out. She works for Margaret Wells as a servant, then later as a harlot, until Margaret fires her.
Rank Up: She starts working for Margaret, then for Emily, and eventually becomes the bawd of her own house.
Start My Own: Starts her own brothel in season 3.
Single Mom Stripper: She first becomes a harlot after her husband's death to earn enough money to buy her children's freedom before they're taken from her forever. After managing that, she stays in the business so she can afford to get them a good education.
Token Minority: The first in Emily Lacey's "House of Exotics." Later she starts her own house, hiring only other women of color. Deconstructed in that she and her girls have to put up with fetishistic racism from their white clients - including a slave owner.
Wicked Stepmother: Inverted. Her stepson is cruel and selfish.

Rani Balakrishnan

Played by: Briony Scarlett

Number Two: To Harriet.

Pincher Household

Isaac Pincher

Played by: Alfie Allen

Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Charlotte. Despite their business rivalry and mutual animosity, they can't get enough of each other.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seems like a charming, sensitive poet in his introduction, until his true colours are shown.
Character Death: He's shot by Nancy after trying to kill Emily.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Compared to his brother Hal, he's more hot-tempered, impulsive, and short-sighted.
Jerkass: He's a violent thug who coerces sex workers into working for him. When Charlotte stands up to him, he burns down Greek Street. He also tells Baby Kitty "You're mother's a whore" to intimidate Fanny.

Hal Pincher

Played by: Ash Hunter

Domestic Abuse: In the latter half of Season Three, his relationship with Emily becomes very toxic, due to his temper and distrust. Highlights include locking Emily in her room for hours and punching the wall next to her. The really twisted part is that he actually seems to love her, contrasting his absolutely horrid actions.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: He's more level-headed and sensible than his brother Isaac.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He towers over the slim, waifish Emily Lacey.
Nice Guy: Where Isaac is caustic and brutish, Hal is polite and reasonable, but he does have a temper when it comes to Isaac's foolish relationship with Charlotte and accidentally kills her by pushing her off a balcony.
Put on a Bus to Hell: In the season 3 finale, he's drafted into the Navy.
Thicker Than Water: He lies on behalf of his brother even though he disapproves of Isaac's actions.
Where da White Women At?: With Emily Lacey in season 3. They appear to have a genuinely loving, supportive relationship, until Hal learns of Emily's role in his brother's murder.

Harvey Household

Elizabeth Harvey

Played by: Angela Griffin

Ambiguously Evil: Elizabeth appears sincere in her desire to have a home where gay men are free to be themselves, but she is in league with Mrs. May, one of Lydia Quigley's associates, and plans to manipulate Lucy.
Black Boss Lady: Though technically only one of three co-owners of Golden Square, the others being Lucy and Fredo, Elizabeth has seniority.
Domestic Abuse: Her husband is physically aggressive toward her and her son.
Everyone Has Standards: She may be an unscrupulous, self-serving business woman, but she will not betray the mollyhouse's clients — their sexual orientation is a secret that's 100% safe with her. This probably has to do with the fact that her son is gay, so she's inclined to be empathetic.
Fag Hag: She's an older woman who opens a mollyhouse and isn't keen on getting married.
I Have Many Names: She has had several aliases in the past. Her real name is apparently Emma Harrison.
Mama Bear: She's very protective of Fredo.
Open-Minded Parent: She's protective of her gay son and opens a mollyhouse just for him.
Unwanted Spouse: She left her first husband in debtor's prison and wants nothing to do with him.

Fredo Harvey

Ferdo Harvey

Played by: Aiden Chen

Abusive Parents: His stepfather has hurt him in the past, which is why Elizabeth left him.
Camp Gay: He's a gay man who dresses in a rather feminine manner, including heavy make up.
Happily Adopted: He and Elizabeth aren't biologically related, but he adores her and considers her his mother, and she freely introduces him as her son.
Secret Relationship: With one of his culls. Male homosexuality is a hanging offense, so they can never be together openly.
Twofer Token Minority: He's both Asian and gay.

Commoners

Florence Scanwell

Played by: Dorothy Atkinson

Dark and Troubled Past: She's a former harlot, a fact that she keeps hidden from her followers and her own daughter.
The Fundamentalist: She's a devout Christian and harshly judges those who engage in prostitution.
Good Parents: However unpleasant she may be, Florence is a devoted and loving mother to Amelia.
Hypocrite: She's on a crusade against prostitution, yet rents a room from and secrets works for Lydia Quigley, a high-class madam.
Mama Bear: She slashes Lord Fallon on the cheek for attacking Amelia.
My Beloved Smother: She's extremely protective of Amelia due to wanting her to be everything she couldn't be; pure and sinless. Consequently this has made Amelia very sheltered and easy to take advantage of. When Violet accuses Florence of being the one who's kept Amelia stumbled, she doesn't even get defensive.
Odd Friendship: Strangely, she starts forming a bond with Margaret after moving into Greek Street in season 2.
Put on the Bus: She disappears without explanation in season 3.
Shipper on Deck: She wants Amelia to marry Josiah Hunt and stay away from Violet.
Took a Level in Kindness: She really softens her attitude in season 2.

Amelia Scanwell

Played by: Jordon Stevens

The Bait: She agrees to go along with Margaret's plan and pretends to be drugged and tied up when Justice Cunliffe comes for her. As soon as he hauls her out to his carriage he's cornered by the law for kidnapping.
Conflicting Loyalty: While Amelia is portrayed as more open-minded than her mother about religion, she nonetheless appears to be conflicted between her faith and her growing attraction to Violet. However, in 1x07, she indicates she's more worried about her mother's reaction than anything else.
Good Is Not Dumb: She's instantly suspicious of Lydia's charity in the first season. Later in the series she proves she can be quite cunning when she needs to be.
Lipstick Lesbian: She's feminine and in love with Violet. There are no signs that she's attracted to men. She's certainly not excited about her engagement to Josiah Hunt.
Morality Pet:
- Say what you want about Florence, but she genuinely adores Amelia and would do anything for her.
- She also brings out Violet's softer side, and the two fall in love.
- To a lesser extent, Prince Rasselas. He's generally a Wild Card looking out for himself, but he's a good and loyal friend to Amelia.
Nice Girl: Unlike her mother, she's kindhearted and much more open-minded towards the harlots. She even falls in love with one...
Odd Friendship: With the gay male sex worker Prince Rasselas, who helps her come to terms with her sexuality.
The Pastor's Queer Kid: Amelia, the daughter of a locally prominent street-preacher, falls in love with Violet. She's very worried about how her mother would react, not only because they're queer, but because Violet is a sex worker to boot. A gay man named Prince Rasselas helps Amelia come to terms with her sexuality, as shown in this exchange:
Amelia: Do you fear death more because you are sinners?
Rasselas: Love's not a sin.
Preacher's Kid: Her mother's a vocal Christian leader in the community.
Put on the Bus: She disappears without explanation in season 3.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: She's good for goodness' sake and one of the few characters with no ulterior motives.

Thomas Haxby

Played by: Edward Hogg

Hypercompetent Sidekick: He's the sensible manservant of the feckless, irresponsible George Howard.
Jerkass: Not quite as bad as his master. But close.
Never My Fault: Blames Charlotte solely for their one-night dalliance, even though he was a willing and enthusiastic participant.

Daniel Marney

Played by: Rory Fleck Byrne

Did Not Get the Girl: Charlotte tells him to leave for America without her. She's terrified that their relationship will inevitably put him in danger again, especially now that she's going after Lydia Quigly.
Nice Guy: He is kind, friendly, and genuine.
Put on the Bus: He's absent from season 2. Presumably he left for America since he mentioned wanting to do that.
Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: He's a penniless male sex worker while George Howard is a nobleman. In contrast to Howard, who's self-absorbed and possessive, Daniel is caring and loves Charlotte for who she truly is.
Wrongfully Accused: He's arrested for George Howard's murder despite not having anything to do with it.

Prince Rasselas

Played by: Josef Altin

Camp Gay: He's a molly boy (male sex worker who services other men) who dresses in a feminine manner.
The Lost Lenore: His boyfriend dies of an illness between the first and second seasons.
The Mole: He spies on Margaret and her girls for Lydia Quigley.
Odd Friendship: With Amelia Scanwell. It's surprising to others because Amelia is a Preacher's Kid, but she and Rasselas bond over the fact that they're both gay.
Pet the Dog: He reassures Amelia that he won't reveal her sexuality to her mother.
Put on the Bus: He's not seen or mentioned in season 3.
Twofer Token Minority: Gay and of "Eastern" descent (going by his actor, Turkish.)
Wild Card: His loyalty to whom often switches.

Josiah Hunt

Justice Josiah Hunt

Playing by: Sebastian Armesto

Dogged Nice Guy: He's in love with Amelia, but she doesn't feel the same way. Nonetheless, she accepts his marriage proposal because her mother is forcing her to.
Drowning My Sorrows: He spends the season 2 finale in a tavern drinking after losing his job, breaking his engagement to Amelia, and having to send Margaret to America after lying about her death.
Knight Templar: He's a man of the law who can't be swayed, manipulated, or bribed. Which puts him at odds with the other, unabashedly corrupt officers. This causes him to from an alliance with Margaret Wells, since she and her allies are trying to bring Lydia Quigley and the Spartans to justice. Eventually, when tasked with executing Margaret Wells for killing George Howard, he can't bring himself to do it because he knows she doesn't deserve to die, even if she did break the law.
Put on the Bus: He's absent from season 3.
To Be Lawful or Good: This is the crux of his character development. He starts out convinced that the law must be followed to the letter, but later comes to understand that the law is designed to serve the interest of the elite and powerful and that what's right isn't always what's legal.
Speech Impediment: He has a noticeable stutter and other characters mock him for it.

Aristocrats

George Howard

Sir George Howard

Played by: Hugh Skinner

And There Was Much Rejoicing: Absolutely no one is upset when he dies. Even his own wife is just glad he's gone.
Asshole Victim: Nobody, in-universe or out, felt sorry for him when he got stabbed trying to rape Lucy.
Crazy Jealous Guy: He's utterly obsessed with Charlotte and flies off the handle at the thought her leaving him.
Domestic Abuse: At one point, he holds Charlotte down and rapes her.
Jerkass: He has a cruel streak, such as the time he pays for Lucy's services just to spite her sister. He also rapes Charlotte at one point and tries to rape Lucy.
Manchild: He behaves more like a spoiled, obnoxious fourteen-year-old than a noble aristocrat. His wife even uses this phrase to describe him.
Unwanted Spouse: His wife hates being married to him because his selfishness and immaturity, but can't do anything about it. Even his mistress dislikes him.
Upper-Class Twit: Fabulously wealthy thanks to his wife's impressive dowry, but utterly lacking in common sense.

Caroline Howard

Lady Caroline Howard

Played by: Eleanor Yates

Awful Wedded Life: Her husband, Sir George, is an annoying, irresponsible, selfish man-child who's always wasting her money. After his death, Caroline is relieved to finally be free of him.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Averted. She actually has a higher opinion of her husband George's mistress more than of George himself. Of course, it was an arranged marriage, so it's not like she ever loved him to begin with.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She's much more intelligent and level-headed than her husband. At Charlotte's request, she arranges for Daniel to be exonerated of her husband's murder.

Lord Fallon

Played by: Ben Lambert

Aristocrats Are Evil: He's a member of the Spartans, a rape-murder sex cult that targets vulnerable women, especially virgins.
Dirty Coward: A Serial Killer who only preys on the weak and is helpless to defend himself without his connections and special knives.
Domestic Abuse: Toward Lucy, though it may not appear that way to a outside observer given Lucy's attempts at looking like she's in control. While he is attracted to her, he's also keeping as a hostage and wouldn't hesitate to kill her if it suited him. Plus, his social status gives him a lot of control over her.
Driven to Suicide: As punishment for revealing their secrets while the Wells women and their allies had him captured, the other Spartans force Fallon to kill himself.
The Social Darwinist: He believes that the "strong" have a right to murder the "weak", and that it's the victim's fault for not being worthy of survival.
Villainous Crush: He has a rather disturbing fixation on Lucy.

Isabella Fitzwilliam

Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam, Heiress of Blayne

Played by: Liv Tyler

Ambiguously Gay: She seems unusually interested in Charlotte, who actually kisses her at one point. It's later confirmed that she's attracted to Charlotte and they sleep together, and pursue an affair in season 3 until Charlotte is killed in an accident. Later, she gets a crush on Nancy and kisses her in celebration.
Beehive Hairdo: Wears a pompadour.
Blackmail: Quigley is blackmailing her with the fact that she has an illegitimate child. And that it's father is Isabella's brother, Harcourt.
Broken Bird: Beneath her cold, haughty persona, she's deeply traumatized by the fact that her brother raped her when she was very young and she had to give her baby up so he could never find out about her.
Child by Rape: Her brother Harcourt raped her years ago and she gave birth to his child, though she had managed to keep her pregnancy a secret.
Defiled Forever: Believes this about herself, and knows she will be blamed for her brother raping her, along with putting her illegitimate daughter in danger. So much that it's her darkest secret that Lydia keeps as blackmail. In season 3 rumors begin to circulate that Sophia is actually her daughter, not her ward as she previously claimed. After talking with Nancy, Isabella decides to publicly come clean about Sophia being her daughter — but not about who her father is. In the season 3 finale, she gets the confidence to talk about Harcourt's rape of her as other women come forward.
The Dog Bites Back: She's the only to engineer her monstrous brother's downfall after his abuse of her, finding the courage to confess her rape to the Prince of Wales, who believes her and the other women, exiling Harcourt from court.
Gilded Cage: She is incredibly wealthy, but lives under the thumb of her abusive older brother.
Missing Mom: She had her illegitimate daughter Sophia sent away to be raised in boarding school and only wrote her one letter, telling Sophia they could never meet. This was to protect Sophia from Harcourt, who had no idea she existed since he left for France shortly after raping Isabella. When Isabella realizes that Sophia is in danger from Lydia, she has her brought to Greek Street and they meet each other for the first time.
Old Maid: Its remarked on several times she's a little too old to still be unmarried.
Statuesque Stunner: She is quite tall for her time, even as an English aristocrat who has been brought up in healthier conditions than most other people. Her pompadour makes her seem even taller.
Took a Level in Kindness: Between season 2 and 3, Isabella becomes much less concerned with class distinctions and is more willing to help others.

Harcourt Fitzwilliam

Lord Harcourt Fitzwilliam, Marquess of Blayne

Played by: Julian Rhind-Tutt

Abusive Parents: Her engineers a man seducing his own daughter Sophia to run away with her, solely to hurt her mother....which also stands a chance of ruining Sophia's life, and nearly does.
Aristocrats Are Evil: He's the leader of the Spartans, a rape-murder sex cult that targets vulnerable women, especially virgins. He even raped his own sister.
Big Brother Bully: Toward Isabella. He has complete control of her money and keeps her on a tight leash, while frequently insulting her. He also raped her at one point.
Disappeared Dad: He was unaware that Isabella became pregnant from the rape, and thus didn't know he had a daughter. Isabella has been hiding their daughter from him for years.
Domestic Abuse: To Isabella and later his mistress Anne.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played with. He seems to care for Sophia and his baby son Harcourt, but in reality, they're just tools and pawns to him.
Evil Gloating: At one point he pins Isabella to a bed and gloats being a serial rapist.
Harcourt: It's been too many moons since I broke a girl. None of them could hold a candle to you. You remain the most perfect act of my whole life.
Greater-Scope Villain: A high-ranking aristocrat and leader of the Spartans, a serial rapist and killer, and rapes and abuses his own sister. He's a much larger threat than Mrs. Quigley.
Humiliation Conga: He's exposed by the women he underestimated, including his sister, humiliated in front of the Prince, banished from court and finally killed in a trap set by Lydia and Lucy.
Karmic Death: Stabbed to death by two of the women he terrorized, dying at the hands of 'whores' as he spitefully manages before his end.
Oh, Crap!: When Lydia reveals that Isabella has a secret, illegitimate child with an unknown father, Harcourt is visibly shaken, since he realizes that he's almost certainly the child's father and Isabella managed to keep that from him for years.
- Has another one when the Prince tells him "You have displeased me", realizing that Isabella, Kate, and Anne have told the Prince about his crimes AND that the Prince believes them.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He's a Social Darwinist to the extreme and sadistically abuses women due to his misogyny.
Put on the Bus: He left for Venice in season 3, but soon returns.
Villainous Breakdown: Has one when the Prince banishes him from court.
Villainous Incest: The fact that he raped his younger sister Isabella and still gloats about it years later is used to underscore his depraved and amoral personality. It shows that no woman is safe around him, not even if she's part of his own family.

Sophia Fitzwilliam

Played by: Hannah Dodd

Bastard Angst: Averted. She tells Isabella that she won't mind if her father was just a servant Isabella had a fling with, she just wants to know who he was.
Naïve Newcomer: She was raised in a private boarding school and has no real-world experience.
Nice Girl: Sophia is always extremely polite and well-mannered. She also doesn't care much for class distinctions, seeing as she falls in love with a servant and then elopes with him.
Satellite Family Member: Sophia's significance to the story comes from being the illegitimate daughter of Isabella and her brother Harcourt. Sophia was conceived when the latter raped the former, and her existence was kept a secret for many years. She is unwittingly brought into the power struggle between her parents, with her mother trying to keep her safe and her father trying to use her as a pawn once he finds out about her.
Tell Me About My Father: She pleads to Isabella to tell her who her father was, still unaware that she's the product of incestuous rape.

Characters / Harlots

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