Channel 4 has unveiled a first-look trailer for its upcoming drama adaptation of A Woman of Substance.
The series is based on Barbara Taylor Bradford’s multi-million selling novel, which has become a global classic over the past four decades.
A Woman of Substance first hit screens nearly forty years ago in a hugely popular Emmy-nominated mini-series, and now the story is back, ready to resonate with a fresh audience.
Brenda Blethyn, well-known for her roles in Vera and Pride and Prejudice, stars alongside Jessica Reynolds of Kneecap and House of Guinness.
Watch the trailer below…
The drama follows the rise of Emma Harte, an ambitious Yorkshire maid in 1911 who pushes past class limitations to become the world’s richest woman, never losing sight of her goal to reach the very top, no matter the obstacles.
We see Emma at different stages of her journey, with Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds portraying the character’s transformation from struggling housemaid to unstoppable businesswoman.
Katherine Jakeways, showrunner and writer, said: “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.”
While exact broadcast dates are still under wraps, Channel 4 has confirmed the drama will arrive on TV soon.
