Brenda Blethyn: Vera icon brenda blethyn's new Channel 4 remake confirms release date
Channel 4 has confirmed when fans can expect Vera star brenda blethyn’s period drama A Woman of Substance to arrive. The show will mark Blethyn's first role since Vera ended and the eight-part series will premiere with its first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm on Channel 4.
Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds
The series stars Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds as two versions of the lead character, Emma Harte, in different time periods. Blethyn plays the older Emma in New York, where a trailer shows her desperate to exact revenge, while Reynolds portrays the younger Emma working in a grand house and warned to be careful of her “ambition”. The character is described as a housemaid turned mogul, daughter, mother, lover, fighter, and 20th-century feminist icon who refused to know her ‘place. ’
Premiere dates and boxset release
A Woman of Substance will premiere with its first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm on Channel 4. Fans will also be able to watch the entire eight-part series as a boxset following the transmission of the first episode. The eight-part series is a remake of another Channel 4 adaptation released 40 years ago, and the drama is scheduled to debut on Channel 4 later this year.
Trailer scenes and character details
A trailer previously released cuts between Blethyn’s Emma in New York and the younger Emma’s life back in England. The official synopsis, drawn from Barbara Taylor Bradford’s novel, opens: “1911. Emma Harte, an impoverished ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England goes on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. " It continues: "A rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century, Emma defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she's given, smashing glass ceilings, and never, ever deviating from her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes. "
Production, writing and producers
The drama is produced by The Forge, a Banijay UK company behind National Treasure, The Buccaneers and Marriage, and the adaptation is written by Katherine Jakeways with co-writer Roanne Bardsley. Executive producers are Beth Willis, Joe Innes, George Faber, Katherine Jakeways and The Barbara Taylor Bradford Trust. Roanne Bardsley serves as co-executive producer and Charlie Palmer is the producer. Directing duties are split across blocks: John Hardwick directed block one, Samantha Harrie block two, and Richard Senior block three. The series was commissioned for Channel 4 by Rebecca Holdsworth, Commissioning Editor, and Gwawr Lloyd, Acting Head of Drama.
International sales and streaming
Banijay Rights confirmed that BritBox has acquired the North American streaming rights for the eight-part adaptation, a deal negotiated by Matt Creasey, EVP Sales, Acquisitions and Coproductions, Banijay Rights. Matt Creasey commented: “BritBox is the perfect North American home for this bold new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s classic story, which follows Emma Harte’s extraordinary rags-to-riches journey. We’re in no doubt this premium drama will captivate global audiences in what has been an incredible sales effort from the Banijay Rights team. " Beth Willis, Executive Producer at The Forge, added: “We are so thrilled the BritBox audience will get to enjoy the iconic Emma Harte and her universal story in "A Woman of Substance, " thanks to the support and brilliance of Banijay Rights. ”
Other territorial deals include Foxtel and BINGE as the exclusive home in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, NPO in The Netherlands, Cellcom TV Plus in Israel, COSMOTE TV in Greece and RUV in Iceland. Banijay Rights has shopped the series to a raft of buyers as part of its slate shown to international buyers at Banijay Entertainment’s London TV Screenings event at BAFTA on 25 February. The sales push was described as sounding the starting gun on the London TV Screenings, an event that began with Banijay alongside All3Media, ITV Studios and Fremantle and has swelled to include over 40 sales houses showing their wares.
News of the new series emerged shortly after Barbara Taylor Bradford’s death in late 2024. The project follows a long-running legacy: a 1980s miniseries based on the book, starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr, was also for Channel 4, and its final episode still ranks as the highest rated program in the channel’s history.
This production also features a supporting cast that includes Leanne Best (This City Is Ours), Ewan Horrocks (The Last Kingdom), Harry Cadby (In Flight), Niall Wright (Slow Horses) and Robert Wilfort (Gavin & Stacey). Toby Regbo (Belgravia), Hiftu Quasem (The Witcher), Sophie Bould (Call the Midwife), Georgina Sadler (Silo) and Jo Joyner (EastEnders) also star. The series will mark brenda blethyn's first role since Vera ended.
With premiere dates and a broad international sales footprint confirmed, A Woman of Substance arrives as a major Channel 4 drama event built around a multi-period central performance and a global distribution strategy.
