BritBox’s ‘A Woman of Substance’ to Materialize In June
The highly anticipated period drama remake will kick off a big summer for the British streamer.
BritBox has set a June release date for its highly anticipated adaptation of A Woman of Substance, an eight-part reimagining of the popular Barbara Taylor Bradford novel of the same name.
The series, which aired in the U.K. earlier this year, follows the rags-to-riches rise of Emma Harte, a young housemaid whose drive and determination ultimately help her become the richest woman in the world. The story spans six decades, with Brenda Blethyn (Vera) and Jessica Reynolds (House of Guinness) each playing Emma across two distinct timelines: as a young maid in 1910s Yorkshire and a wildly successful businesswoman in 1970s New York.
Though A Woman of Substance is technically a remake, its story is likely to be almost completely unfamiliar to American viewers. The original, which was broadcast in 1984, remains U.K. network Channel 4’s most-watched series of the past forty years. But outside of an extremely limited syndication run on New York City’s PBS station, it never aired in the U.S. Thankfully, BritBox has a slightly larger audience footprint to work with, and a sincere determination to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
Here’s the series’ synopsis.
A Woman of Substance stars Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds as the two versions of the iconic character Emma Harte - a housemaid turned-mogul, daughter, mother, lover, fighter and a 20th century feminist icon who refused to know her ‘place’. The series finds Emma in 1911, an impoverished ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, who goes on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. A rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century, Emma defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she's given, smashing glass ceilings, and never, ever deviating from her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes.
Toby Regbo, Jessica Reynolds, Ewan Horrocks, and Emmett J. Scanlan in 'A Woman of Substance' (BritBox)
Alongside Blethyn and Reynolds, the series also stars Jo Joyner (Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators) as Elizabeth Harte Ainsley, Emmett J. Scanlan (How to Get to Heaven From Belfast) as Adam Fairley, and Lydia Leonard (Wolf Hall) as Olivia Wainwright.
Other cast members include Will Mellor (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) as Jack Harte, Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?) as Frank Harte, and several actors portraying the Fairley family, including Leanne Best (This City is Ours), Ewan Horrocks (Domina), Harry Cadby (In Flight), and Toby Regbo (Belgravia).
The eight-part series is written by Katherine Jakeways (The Buccaneers) and co-written by Roanne Bardsley. Director John Hardwick helms block one of the show, with Samantha Harries and Richard Senior stepping in to direct blocks two and three, respectively. Executive producers are Jakeways, Beth Willis, Joe Innes, George Faber, and The Barbara Taylor Bradford Trust.
A Woman of Substance will premiere on June 24, 2026, on BritBox with two episodes, followed by weekly releases through the beginning of August.
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