Brenda Blethyn headlines Channel 4 remake A Woman of Substance as premiere dates are confirmed
Channel 4 has announced when A Woman of Substance will air, marking brenda blethyn's first role since Vera ended. The eight-part period drama will debut its first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm on Channel 4, with the full eight-episode boxset available after the first transmission.
Channel 4 premiere timing and the boxset plan
The broadcaster will premiere the series with two episodes across consecutive evenings, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm, before making the entire eight-part run available as a boxset following the first transmission. The production is billed as an eight-part remake of a Channel 4 adaptation released 40 years ago.
Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds play Emma Harte across eras
Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds portray two versions of the lead character, Emma Harte, in different time periods. For brenda blethyn this is her first role since Vera ended; a trailer for the series places Blethyn’s older Emma in New York, desperate to exact revenge. The footage then shifts to Reynolds as the younger Emma, working in a grand house and cautioned about her “ambition. ”
Global rights deals: BritBox, Foxtel, TVNZ and more
Banijay Rights confirmed that BritBox has acquired North American streaming rights and that BritBox will stream the series in the U. S.; Matt Creasey, EVP Sales, Acquisitions and Coproductions at Banijay Rights, negotiated the deal. Matt Creasey said, “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. ”
In Australia, Foxtel and BINGE will be the exclusive home of the series. TVNZ in New Zealand, NPO in The Netherlands, Cellcom TV Plus in Israel, COSMOTE TV in Greece, and RUV in Iceland have also acquired the show. Beth Willis, Executive Producer at The Forge, said she was thrilled that the BritBox audience will get to enjoy the iconic Emma Harte, praising the support and work of Banijay Rights. The sale formed part of Banijay Rights’ slate showcased to international buyers at Banijay Entertainment’s London TV Screenings event at BAFTA on 25 February.
Production team, writers and directors behind the remake
The drama is produced by The Forge, a Banijay UK company, and is described as a revenge drama reimagining Barbara Taylor Bradford’s multi-million-selling novel. The script was written by Katherine Jakeways with Roanne Bardsley as co-writer. 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.
Direction is split across three 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.
Storyline roots, legacy adaptation and timing
Set from 1911 onward, the drama follows Emma Harte as an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, who embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, ultimately gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. The series is described as a rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century in which Emma defies societal expectations, challenges prescribed roles, smashes glass ceilings and follows a single masterplan: get to the top, whatever it takes. The new adaptation follows a 1980s Channel 4 miniseries that starred Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr; that earlier production remains one of the broadcaster’s most successful ever dramas, with its final episode still ranking as the highest rated program in the channel’s history.
News of the new series arrived after Barbara Taylor Bradford’s death in late 2024. The sales push for A Woman of Substance was presented amid the London TV Screenings, an event that was launched by Banijay alongside All3Media, ITV Studios and Fremantle and has grown to include more than 40 sales houses showing content to international buyers.
Principal cast beyond the leads
The ensemble 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). Additional cast members are Toby Regbo (Belgravia), Hiftu Quasem (The Witcher), Sophie Bould (Call the Midwife), Georgina Sadler (Silo) and Jo Joyner (EastEnders).
