Search results
Harlots: Created by Moira Buffini, Alison Newman. With Lesley Manville, Kate Fleetwood, Holli Dempsey, Eloise Smyth. Brothel owner Margaret Wells struggles to raise her daughters in London during the 18th century.
- (11K)
- 2017-03-29
- Drama
- 45
- Overview
- Biography
- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three
Emily Lacey is a character in Harlots played by Holli Dempsey. While decidedly unpopular among her fellow harlots, she is skilled enough to be called The Duchess of Quim.
Emily is a popular, successful, but brittle girl whose ambition knows no bounds. She is the top earner of Margaret’s house and has thrived there but sees it as a stepping stone to greater things. She thinks she is better than the other girls.
Little is known about Emily Lacey's past, although she claims to have come from "the gutter" - likely an indication that Emily came from an impoverished background. She is also possibly illiterate and uneducated, and has been a prostitute for long enough to be quite skilled at it (as she will attest).
Emily Lacey is the top earner in Margaret Wells' brothel; she is a master of her trade and very successful, with ambition to spare. Unfortunately, her nasty attitude makes her many enemies; she is arrogant, troublesome and vain, but Margaret puts up with her seeing as she's her "best girl." Despite this, she frequently complains about being under paid for the amount of work that Margaret gives her. Her attitude finally gets the best of her one day and, after being told to "cluck off" by Kitty Carter, she goes her own way, ending up at Lydia Quigley's house. Lydia agrees to take her in after learning she has run away from Margaret, but laments over the amount of work it will take to be at the standard Lydia expects. Emily quickly realizes she made a mistake after being rushed upstairs and locked into a room - she discovers that Lydia's girls are barred from leaving. Emily is soon visited by Lydia's son, Charles Quigley, who is tasked with trying "the goods" of all the new girls. Emily protests, and threatens to tell everyone that she is a prisoner, but Charles pays no attention to her. When her threats don't work, Emily instead decides that Charles could be her way out of the house, and sleeps with him.
Emily uses Charles' feelings against him and is able to escape after drugging him so much he nearly dies. For her actions, Lydia seeks to have her revenge and has her kidnapped and delivered to a gang of murderers-turned-rapists as "The Spartans."
Emily and Charles have since started a brothel together. After failing to take over Lydia's business while she was in jail for running a whorehouse - they believed she would not be released - the pair go into business together. Emily enjoys being the boss but is unable to get her only girl (Harriet Lennox, who was thrown out by Margaret) to pay her...
In the year following Margaret's murder, Emily has become the best girl of Hal Pincher.
- 3 min
Holli Cara-Rhian Dempsey (born 11 May 1990) is an English actress, writer and comedian. On television, she is known for her roles in the ITV drama The Ice Cream Girls (2013), the Channel 4 series Derek (2013–2014), the E4 series The Aliens (2016), and the Hulu series Harlots (2017–2019).
YearTitleRole2024DC Alice Hackett2024Lilith2022Murder in ProvenceDelphine Jourdain2022Chelsea / SamanthaPeople also ask
Who is Holli Dempsey?
Who is Holli Cara-Rhian Dempsey?
Who is Emily Lacey in Harlots?
Who created Harlots?
Holli Dempsey is known for Derek (2012), Harlots (2017) and After Life (2019). More at IMDbPro. Contact info. Agent info. Resume. Add to list. Awards. 1 win & 3 nominations. Photos 11. Known for. Derek. 8.1. TV Series. Vicky. 2013–2014 • 10 eps. Harlots. 7.7. TV Series. Emily Lacey. 2017–2019 • 24 eps. After Life. 8.4. TV Series.
- 1.60 m
- 1 min
- Actress
Jul 10, 2019 · In the meantime, perpetually driven Emily Lacey (Holli Dempsey), Margaret’s former prodigy turned Lydia’s prisoner, has left Quigley’s schlubby son for an ambitious tavern keeper, Hal (Ash...
Holli Dempsey as Emily Lacey, a fiery, opinionated and impulsive sex worker who deserts Margaret Wells for what she believes are better prospects at Lydia Quigley's brothel. Emily is the love interest of Charles Quigley
