‘A Woman of Substance’s Trailer Is a 20th Century Journey
'A Woman of Substance's first trailer is here, and this show is going to be a journey.
Since the BBC bought out BritBox in early 2024, almost all of the big titles that have followed have been police procedurals of some kind. From new shows like Blue Lights, Ludwig, Time, and Sherwood, to older favorites like Father Brown, Death in Paradise, and Silent Witness, BritBox has been mystery-and-crime central. It’s part of what has made the first half of 2026 such a pleasant surprise, as BritBox finally starts challenging PBS Masterpiece by bringing over big-budget historical costume dramas.
First, we’ve had The Other Bennet Sister, which is a delightful spin on Jane Austen with its “Wicked, but Make it Pride & Prejudice” ethos. Now, BritBox is directly following it up with the new adaptation of the popular Barbara Taylor Bradford novel, A Woman of Substance. Channel 4’s original 1980s-era adaptation was the series that elevated the network to a level on par with the BBC and ITV, even if it never properly crossed the pond. The producers of both Channel 4 and BritBox seem to be hoping the new version will be as popular.
When the series debuted on Channel 4 in March 2026, critics were impressed with how the new adaptation gave the series the “Downton Abbey Treatment” and compared it to the Disney+/Hulu series Rivals. Now, the first BritBox trailer is out, and American viewers can judge for themselves.
Here’s the series synopsis:
The series finds Emma in 1911, an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, who embarks on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury penthouse in New York. 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.
Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds in 'A Woman of Substance' (BritBox)
Alongside Blethyn (Vera) and Reynolds (House of Guinness), 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.
The supporting cast includes Will Mellor (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?), Leanne Best (This City is Ours), Ewan Horrocks (Domina), Harry Cadby (In Flight), and Toby Regbo (Belgravia).
The new adaptation is written by Katherine Jakeways (The Buccaneers) and Roanne Bardsley (Boiling Point). Directors John Hardwick (One Day), Samantha Harries (McDonald & Dodds), and Richard Senior (Poldark) split helming duties across the series eight episodes. Executive producers are Jakeways, Beth Willis, Joe Innes, George Faber, and The Barbara Taylor Bradford Trust.
A Woman of Substance will premiere on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, on BritBox with two episodes, followed by weekly releases through the beginning of August.
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