A New 'A Woman of Substance' Commissioned, One of 5 New Series for 2025

The mid-2020s have already been a brutal time for the entertainment industry, as the downslope from peak TV suddenly gets steep for several struggling production studios. Between Netflix's domination reaching global levels, uncertain economies, and unfriendly environments, there are a lot of networks going through dark times right now. That's why we have to celebrate the wins where we find them, in places like Channel 4, which doubled its drama budget in the wake of Labour's win in July 2024, which signaled the end of the threat of a government sale. That extra money has produced a high-profile slate for 2025, including a remake of the network's most successful series in history, A Woman of Substance.

Anyone who lived through the 1980s and ever went inside a bookstore or stood in the supermarket checkout line will recognize the paperback cover of A Woman of Substance. Released in 1979, the debut novel of the late British author Barbara Taylor Bradford was the first in the "Emma Harte Cycle," a seven-novel saga tracing the fictional heroine's rise from country housemaid to Wall Street mogul. The first three novels — the second and third being Hold The Dream and To Be The Best — were adapted by Channel 4 as miniseries between 1984 and 1992. However, the sequels never topped the original, which aired to a whopping 14 million viewers in the U.K., and won two Emmys in the States in 1985.

The series starred Jenny Seagrove as Emma Harte and Deborah Kerr as the older Harte looking back across her life. Barry Bostwick was the leading love interest, but the series is notable for featuring young Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson. However, despite the Emmy wins, most Americans probably did not see A Woman of Substance until much later on VHS, as the series never aired nationally on PBS.