The ‘A Woman of Substance’ Premiere Is a Feast of Excess
Emma tells her wealthy admirer, Edwin, she will never die in poverty as her mother did.
If Rivals and Downton Abbey had a lovechild, it might well be A Woman of Substance, the new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s bestselling 1979 novel. It has everything the heart might desire, other than a sense of humor: trouble down t’mill, women in power, bedroom antics with lavish Edwardian underwear, some gorgeous locations, and a valiant cast doing their best with the over-the-top dialogue and plot. It covers the story of Yorkshire-born Emma Harte, whose determination and spirit propel her from humble beginnings as a domestic servant to a powerful tycoon over six decades.
It’s the later version of Emma we meet first in 1970’s New York City, played by Brenda Blethyn. On her way to the headquarters of the Harte retail empire, journalist Jim Fairley (Toby Regbo) invades her limo with the top news story of the day. Her business is crashing after her medical records were released to the press, and she briefly turns on the television in the vehicle to check. He’s correct – there is indeed trouble up the skyscraper. She scoffs at him and greets her store workers as if it were just a normal day, but when she is alone in the elevator, her face reveals her true feelings.
Emma consults with her staff on media strategy and then retires to her lavish office with its great view of the city, and is annoyed that Fairley has followed her. As we’ll see, she has good reason to mistrust anyone from the Fairley family, and she calls security to have him removed – “there’s a wasp at the picnic.” But Jim isn’t just after a story. Emma suspects a rogue board member has betrayed her, but it turns out it’s her children conspiring to destroy her, and he has recordings to prove it. Emma responds that revenge, not hatred, has driven her all of her life, and she’ll fight for survival.
Back to 1911 Yorkshire, where Emma (Jessica Reynolds) strides across the moors on her way to work as a housemaid at Fairley Hall. She meets a stranger, Mac O’Neill (Niall Wright), who asks her for directions to the house, where he’s been hired to work on the chimneys. They’re to become close friends, both smart, ambitious, and hardworking. As they near the house, Emma, realizing she’ll be late for work, runs ahead and is pleased to see Edwin Fairley (Ewan Horrocks), the younger son of the family. He’s home unexpectedly early from university, and there’s more than a hint of romance between them. But then Mac catches up with Emma, and she’s called into the house where the butler Murgatroyd (Robert Wilfort) assigns the day’s duties to the staff. He smacks Emma over the head with his list in conclusion as punishment for her lateness, and she embarks on a morning of hard physical work. (Something we don’t see too often in period pieces.)
At breakfast, we meet wealthy industrialist Squire Adam Fairley (Emmett J. Scanlan), who is planning an event to interest the wealthy peer Sir Vikram Chandra (Sagar Arya) in a business venture, with help from his two sons, Edwin and Gerald (Harry Cadby). It’s charmingly domestic, except the woman at the table is not Mrs. Fairley, but her sister Olivia Wainwright (Lydia Leonard).
Edwin waylays Emma at the stables to tell her he’s never forgotten the kiss they shared when he left the house for university. He admits he’s obsessed with her, but she refuses to continue the romance; she has too much to risk, including her family’s livelihood.
Emma returns to her family home, a bleak cottage on the moors, where her mother, Elizabeth Harte (Sophie Bould), is sick in bed. They play chess with trinkets and small household items as pieces and talk about Emma’s future. She’s a talented dressmaker, and her mother encourages her to get out, to get on. As a chess player, Emma knows the importance of taking chances and being at least three moves ahead. The next morning, Emma’s father, Jack (Will Mellor), and her brother Frank (Lenny Rush) talk sports and tease each other. They’re an affectionate family, but desperately poor.
Back at work, Emma walks in on Polly (Georgina Sadler), ladies’ maid to Mrs. Fairley, servicing the eldest son of the family, Gerald. The two women have a mostly friendly rivalry, with Polly having the advantage of greater status and better wages than Emma. Meanwhile, Squire Fairley roams the house on his way to visit his reclusive wife.
Adele Fairley (Leanne Best) suffers from agoraphobia and spends her time in her room, drinking heavily and anticipating her husband’s conjugal visits. She never comes downstairs. She actually refers to herself as “the mad wife in the attic,” as they viciously tease and torment each other, their version of foreplay.
Adele rings for her maid, and Emma arrives with her breakfast tray, since Polly isn’t around. As he gets dressed, Fairley challenges his wife to come downstairs for the reception that weekend, and she cries as he leaves. Emma calms and comforts her. Adele fears that she is being replaced by her sister Olivia, who participates in Adam’s business affairs and is halfway to being in love with him. She spends a lot of time gazing soulfully at her brother-in-law.
Emma is called to the kitchen, where her brother Frank has arrived, urging her to run ahead and say goodbye to their mother before it’s too late. Mac finds Frank crying near the stables and takes him back home on horseback, meeting Emma outside the cottage. Her mother is still alive and tells Emma one more time to make something of her life. Jack carries his wife out of the house to take her to the family’s favorite place, a nearby rocky outcrop they call “the top of the world.” Emma, carrying Frank, follows, but Elizabeth dies before they get there.
Back at Fairley Hall, Olivia explains to Adele that she will be acting as hostess at the party Adam has arranged to lure in Sir Vikram. She adds that it will probably be very boring, and she’s glad to help out. Adele teases her sister about her crush on Adam.
Emma runs into Adam, who offers his commiseration on her mother’s death, and Emma realizes this is her chance: she suggests she take over as Olivia’s maid, because she understands Mrs. Fairley, and asks for an extra four shillings a week. Murgatroyd is furious that Emma talked directly to Adam, but she’s to take up the mistress’s tray, which means she has her promotion. Polly follows Emma into the kitchen, where she starts pelting her with eggs. Emma runs outside the house, and Polly follows to insult her and her family, and they come to blows. Adam, Olivia, Gerald, Edwin, and Murgatroyd watch the fight, the two sons laughing. Polly begs Gerald to stand up for her, but of course, he doesn’t. She’s fired.
Edwin tries to comfort Emma, who tells him that she will never die in poverty as her mother did. He doesn’t believe their differences outweigh their love, but she sees inequity everywhere. Her father hauls bricks, his orders lunch while his workers don’t have enough to eat. She returns home, where Frank is missing their mother and needs comfort.
The next morning, Adele is determined to go to the party and agrees with Emma that drinking is probably a bad idea. Emma offers to make some changes to the gown Adele has chosen and shows her a breathing technique to calm her nerves.
Meanwhile, Adam goes to Olivia’s room. She confesses that she knows she’s only there to stand in for her sister, but sometimes it feels real. It feels real to him, too. He enjoys having someone to share things with, a partner. They grab nervously at each other, but Adam backs away, apologizing.
That evening, Emma goes downstairs to observe the party and Adele’s entrance. The Fairley men and the Chandras are chatting about mill workers getting the upper hand, although one of the Fairleys’ workers recently lost a hand in the machinery (much laughter). Edwin, asked for his opinion, is labeled a free thinker by Sir Vikram Chandra (Sagar Arya), just like his daughter Priya (Hiftu Quasem). Sir Vikram goes on to comment on what a busy man Adam must be, his sister-in-law on hand and a wife upstairs.
Adele, in her remodeled gown, descends the stairs to join and take over the party. She and Emma exchange smiles, Edwin kisses his mother’s cheek, and, a bit too late, Adam introduces his wife to Sir Vikram.
Emma’s work here is done. She leaves Adele happily charming the guests. Outside, she meets Edwin, who is carrying a pair of eggs, which he breaks over himself to prove they are the same, never mind the class differences. He takes her hand, and they run away into the fells to a cave. Edwin tries to wash off the egg on his waistcoat using water from a small spring, and Emma tells him she’ll get into trouble if she doesn’t go back, but she wants to stay there with him. They become lovers.
In 1977, Emma remembers that time with Edwin, who had concealed a pair of gold rings in the cave, just in case … So much for spontaneity. After everything the Fairleys did following that passionate evening in the cave, Emma tells us, she dedicated her life to revenge, and we’ll find out more as the series progresses.
A Woman of Substance Season 1’s first two episodes are available to stream for BritBox subscribers, with new episodes arriving weekly through the beginning of August. All eight episodes are available for BritBox Premier members from premiere day. Season 2 is already greenlit.
A Woman of Substance
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