Brenda Blethyn lands major new role in eight-part series after quitting Vera
Actress to take the lead in reworking of iconic novel, 40 years after it was Channel 4’s biggest ever drama
Brenda quit Vera to reclaim her summers, but looks like she’ll be pretty busy this year(Image: ITV)
When Brenda Blethyn quit ITV’s Vera after 14 years she insisted she was not retiring – now the actress has signed up to play the “fierce” lead in A Woman of Substance. Brenda, 79, will take the lead in an eight-part adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s iconic novel for Channel 4 alongside Jessica Reynolds, who plays the younger version of main character Emma Harte.
The revenge romp drama previously aired on Channel 4 40 years ago, starring Deborah Kerr, and became the station’s biggest ever drama, also winning an Emmy nomination.
Set in 1911, the story follows impoverished but ambitious Yorkshire maid Emma as she embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman. The character is also a daughter, mother, lover and fighter who refused to know her ‘place’, becoming a 20 th century feminist icon.
Brenda quit Vera to reclaim her summers, but looks like she’ll be pretty busy this year(Image: ITV)
When Brenda Blethyn quit ITV’s Vera after 14 years she insisted she was not retiring – now the actress has signed up to play the “fierce” lead in A Woman of Substance. Brenda, 79, will take the lead in an eight-part adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s iconic novel for Channel 4 alongside Jessica Reynolds, who plays the younger version of main character Emma Harte.
The revenge romp drama previously aired on Channel 4 40 years ago, starring Deborah Kerr, and became the station’s biggest ever drama, also winning an Emmy nomination.
Set in 1911, the story follows impoverished but ambitious Yorkshire maid Emma as she embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman. The character is also a daughter, mother, lover and fighter who refused to know her ‘place’, becoming a 20 th century feminist icon.
