Oh, to be an artisit. To give oneself completely to art, to love and to sitting around combing each other’s hair. This is the life of an artist, right? Well, maybe. Maybe back in the 19th century it was all flouncing about in fields of poppies and painting women with heaving bosoms. This was the life of the Romantics, and why no one has made a sumptuous period drama about this fops is beyond me (well they haven’t to the best of my knowledge), but now BBC Two is fully into production on Desperate Romantics, and I for one cannot wait. Let’s have a look at the cast.

Before I go through the cast, let’s have a look at what the BBC Press Office describes the series:

“Set in and among the alleys, galleries and flesh-houses of 19th century industrial London, Desperate Romantics follows the life and love affairs of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of revolutionary artists as well-known for their intertwining love lives as for their ground-breaking paintings.

The scandalous love triangles with their models became the subject of much gossip amongst their contemporaries, particularly as these relationships often crossed the class barriers of polite Victorian society.”

Saucy.

And the cast?

Aidan Turner (there’s that man again) plays serial model seducer Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Rafe Spall plays William “Maniac” Hunt, a founding member of the Brotherhood.

Tom Hollander plays the influential art critic and patron John Ruskin.

Samuel Barnett plays John Millais.

Zoe Tapper plays Ruskin’s wife Effy, who gets quite friendly with Mr Millais.

Amy Manson plays Rossetti’s true love Lizzie Siddal, the model for Millais’ most highly-regarded painting, Ophelia.

There’s also Sam Crane as Fred Walters, and Jennie Jacques plays Annie Miller, a prostitute.

Double sauce. Basically, lots of good looking people doing good looking things in period costume. What’s not to like?