Brenda Blethyn to Star in A Woman of Substance — Channel 4 Confirms Premiere Dates
brenda blethyn will return to television in the eight-part period drama A Woman of Substance, the actress’s first role since Vera ended, with Channel 4 confirming premiere plans and international sales ahead of London TV Screenings. The series will launch with its first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm, and the full eight-part run will be made available as a boxset after the first episode airs.
Brenda Blethyn's first role since Vera
The adaptation pairs Brenda Blethyn with Jessica Reynolds, who play two versions of the lead character Emma Harte across different periods. The show marks Blethyn’s first role since Vera ended and positions the older and younger portrayals of Emma against a sweeping rags-to-riches narrative drawn from Barbara Taylor Bradford’s novel.
Series details and synopsis
A Woman of Substance is an eight-part remake of a Channel 4 adaptation released 40 years ago. The official premise places Emma Harte in 1911 as an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, who embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, eventually gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. The story is described as a rags-to-riches tale spanning the 20th century in which Emma defies societal expectations, challenges roles prescribed to her, and pursues a single masterplan: "Get to the top. Whatever it takes. " The series has also been described as a revenge drama in its reimagining of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s multi-million bestselling novel and global phenomenon.
Trailer and character moments
A previously released trailer shows Blethyn’s older Emma in New York, desperate to exact revenge, before cutting back to the younger Emma, played by Reynolds, working in a grand house and being warned to be careful of her "ambition. " The sequence underscores the series’ dual-time structure and its focus on the consequences of Emma’s drive.
Cast, writers and production team
The cast 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). Also starring are Toby Regbo (Belgravia), Hiftu Quasem (The Witcher), Sophie Bould (Call the Midwife), Georgina Sadler (Silo) and Jo Joyner (EastEnders). The adaptation is 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 producer. Direction is broken into blocks: John Hardwick directed block one, Samantha Harrie block two and Richard Senior block three. The Forge produced the series for Channel 4; The Forge’s credits cited include National Treasure, The Buccaneers and Marriage.
International sales and BritBox deal
Banijay Rights confirmed a raft of international deals struck ahead of the London TV Screenings week. BritBox has acquired North American streaming rights to the eight-part series in a deal negotiated by Matt Creasey, EVP Sales, Acquisitions and Coproductions at Banijay Rights. Matt Creasey described BritBox as the ideal North American home for the new adaptation, saying he had no doubt the premium drama will captivate global audiences following a significant international sales effort.
Other territories and festival timing
Major acquisitions 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. The sales push formed part of Banijay Rights’ slate showcased to international buyers at Banijay Entertainment’s London TV Screenings event at BAFTA on 25 February. Organisers and sellers noted the activity as a prominent launch to the screenings period, with the title presented alongside other premium scripted series.
For Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds, A Woman of Substance reunites a large ensemble and a heavyweight creative team to retell Emma Harte’s century-spanning story. News of this new adaptation emerged shortly after Barbara Taylor Bradford’s death in late 2024, and the series also follows in the shadow of a 1980s Channel 4 miniseries adaptation starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr, whose final episode remains the highest rated programme in the channel’s history.
Channel 4 will premiere A Woman of Substance with episodes one and two on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm, after which the full eight-part series will be available as a boxset. The production credits, cast list, directing blocks, executive producers, commissioning editors Rebecca Holdsworth and Gwawr Lloyd, and the full slate of international deals are included in the series rollout materials.
