Move over Vera, A Woman of Substance is being given the reboot treatment with none other than Brenda Blethyn taking on the iconic role of heroine Emma Harte. The new eight-part revenge romp is a “bold” re-imagining of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s classic novel – which charts the rise of the wronged housemaid who channels her rage to become the richest woman in the world – and oh, how we love a good revenge story.

Released in 1979, A Woman of Substance was Barbara’s debut novel and the first in the “Emma Harte Cycle” – a seven-novel saga tracing the heroine’s journey from country housemaid to Wall Street mogul. When the original adaptation starring Liam Neeson and Jenny Seagrove aired in 1984, almost 14 million viewers tuned in – and it remains the channel’s most watched drama of all time.

Will the reboot be just as successful? Let’s see, but we do know that we’ll be tuning in the moment arrives on our screens. Until then, here’s everything we know about the upcoming reboot…

What is A Woman of Substance about?

In the new series, Brenda Blethyn will play the heroine of Barbara Taylor’s Bradford’s story, Emma Harte, and we’ll meet her in 1911. She’s an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England – and she’s determined to change that. In fact, she wants to get to the top, whatever it takes.

She defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she’s given, smashing glass ceilings, and most importantly, never deviating from her masterplan. That’s how she becomes the world’s richest woman, gazing down on her sprawling empire from a luxury New York penthouse.

“A Woman of Substance was on every bookstand”

Brenda Blethyn says she’s “overjoyed” to be taking on the role and following in the footsteps of Deborah Kerr. “As a fan of Barbara Taylor-Bradford, it is an unmissable opportunity to play the fierce Emma Harte,” she says.

ITV

Katherine Jakeways, showrunner and writer, has said of the series: “I was a child in the ’80s, when A Woman of Substance was on every bookstand, every glass-topped coffee table and hidden, well-thumbed, under every pillow. The original Channel 4 adaptation was packed full of rolling Yorkshire hills, hairspray, shoulder pads and heaving bosoms and I desperately wanted in.

“So, it’s an incredible thrill for me to be bringing this blockbusting, epic saga of ambition, lust and revenge back to exactly where it belongs…Channel 4. And, we hope, doing justice to those twin feminist icons: the unstoppable Emma Harte and the original, inspirational Woman of Substance herself… Barbara Taylor Bradford.”

Who starred in the original 1984 drama?

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The three-part miniseries aired on Channel 4 in 1984 and starred Jenny Seagrove as the young Emma Harte. Deborah Kerr played the older Emma alongside Barry Bostwick, Peter Egan, Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson. The final episode had 13.8 million viewers, which remains Channel 4’s highest-ever audience.

Who’s starring in the reboot of A Woman of Substance?

The cast of A Woman of Substance includes:

Brenda Blethyn (Vera, Pride and Prejudice) as Emma Harte
Jessica Reynolds (Kneecap & The Wolf, The Fox & The Leopard) as the younger version of her
Emmett J Scanlan (Kin, Mobland) as Adam Fairley
Lydia Leonard (The Mirror and The Light, Gentleman Jack) as Olivia Wainwright
Leanne Best (This City Is Ours, Line of Duty) as Adele Fairley
Ewan Horrocks (The Last Kingdom, Domina) as Edwin Fairley
Harry Cadby (In Flight, Everything Now) as Gerald Fairley
Will Mellor (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Line of Duty) as Jack Harte
Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable, Doctor Who) as Frank Harte
Niall Wright (Hope Street, Slow Horses) as Mac
Robert Wilfort (Gavin and Stacey, Wolf Hall) as Murgatroyd