Brenda Blethyn: From the Comfort of Kate & Koji to New Yorkshire Revenge Drama — A Woman of Substance Sets Premiere Date
Brenda Blethyn is back in the headlines: the actor who brought DCI Vera Stanhope to life is being celebrated both for the seaside comfort of Kate & Koji and for headlining the upcoming period revenge drama A Woman of Substance, which has confirmed its premiere with the first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm. This twin focus matters because it underlines Blethyn’s range — from warm, small-scale comedy-drama to sweeping, rags-to-riches epic.
Brenda Blethyn headlines A Woman of Substance — release date confirmed
The eight-part adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s 1979 novel will launch with its first two episodes on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm. The full eight-part series will be available to watch as a boxset following the transmission of the first episode; the schedule for the remaining six episodes is yet to be confirmed. The new version is a remake of a broadcast adaptation released forty years ago.
What A Woman of Substance covers
The story opens in 1911, with Emma Harte as an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire who embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, ultimately gazing down from a sprawling New York penthouse. The drama is presented across two timelines: an older Emma and her younger self, charting a rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century, focused on ambition, social barriers and a relentless masterplan summed up as “Get to the top. Whatever it takes. ”
Cast, creators and the creative team
The adaptation casts Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds as two versions of Emma Harte in different time periods; Emmett J Scanlan is also named among the principal cast. The script is written by Katherine Jakeways with co-writing by Roanne Bardsley. The supporting ensemble includes Leanne Best, Ewan Horrocks, Harry Cadby, Niall Wright, Robert Wilfort, Toby Regbo, Hiftu Quasem, Sophie Bould, Georgina Sadler and Jo Joyner. The project is presented as a large-scale period drama aiming to track Emma’s life across decades.
Trailer beats and character dynamics
Promotional footage juxtaposes Blethyn’s older Emma in New York, portrayed as desperate for revenge, with Jessica Reynolds’ younger Emma working in a grand house and being warned to curb her ambition. The tonal contrast in the trailer signals a narrative built on determination, danger and the personal costs of social ascent.
Kate & Koji: the hidden gem that’s twice as comforting
Before this remake, Brenda Blethyn has been winning praise for Kate & Koji, a seaside-set comedy-drama that has been described as a “hidden gem” and a comforting watch for viewers who enjoyed her DCI role. Created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, the series debuted in 2020 and was applauded for its humour, its engagement with British societal issues and Blethyn’s performance. Its tone is described as delightfully old-fashioned while remaining easy to binge.
How Kate & Koji unfolds
Kate & Koji follows Kate, a prejudiced British working-class woman who runs a café in an Essex seaside town, and Koji, an African doctor seeking asylum in the UK. In the first series Koji (played by Jimmy Akingbola) is waiting for his papers and seeks refuge at Kate’s café; Kate initially mistakes him for a scrounger. Unable to work legally until his asylum status is resolved, Koji accepts Kate’s offer of free food in exchange for providing unofficial medical consultations to café customers. Across a six-episode first series he treats members of the local community through an underground clinic and forms an unlikely friendship with Kate.
Series two changes and viewing figures
The second series, broadcast in 2022, sees Blethyn return as Kate while Jimmy Akingbola steps away to take a role in a US reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air; Okorie Chukwu replaces him as Koji. Series two continues the story with Koji still running his unofficial surgery and navigating the UK’s asylum system, while Kate holds the fort at the café. New challenges in the six-episode follow-up include Koji’s romantic storyline and Kate confronting a former rival. The first series averaged just under five million viewers when it first aired in 2020.
Availability and viewing notes
Both projects are being highlighted to different audiences: Kate & Koji as a bingeable comfort series with two series available now on mainstream on-demand services, and A Woman of Substance as a major upcoming period event with its first two episodes scheduled for Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm, followed by full boxset availability after the premiere. Remaining episode dates for the eight-part run are still to be announced.
Recent updates confirm Brenda Blethyn’s continuing prominence on television, moving from beloved small-scale comedy-drama into a headline-making period revenge epic; further scheduling details may evolve as the broadcast rollout is finalized.
