Channel 4 has forged the leads for its upcoming remake of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Girl Of Substance.
Double Oscar-nominee Brenda Blethyn will play the older Emma Harte and Jessica Reynolds is the youthful model of the enduring character.
The remake of the rags-to-riches story comes 40 years after the primary Channel 4 model of A Girl of Substance, which starred Jenny Seagrove and stays its most watched drama of all time. Taylor Bradford died final November aged 91.
Becoming a member of the forged are Emmett J Scanlan (Kin, Mobland) as Adam Fairley, Lydia Leonard (The Mirror and The Mild, Gentleman Jack) as Olivia Wainwright, Leanne Finest (This Metropolis Is Ours, Line of Obligation) as Adele Fairley, Ewan Horrocks (The Final Kingdom, Domina) as Edwin Fairley, Harry Cadby (In Flight, All the things Now) as Gerald Fairley, Will Mellor (Mr Bates vs the Put up Workplace, Line of Obligation) as Jack Harte, BAFTA-winning Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable, Physician Who) as Frank Harte, Niall Wright (Hope Avenue, Gradual Horses) as Mac, Robert Wilfort (Gavin and Stacey, Wolf Corridor) as Murgatroyd, Toby Regbo (Medici, A Discovery of Witches) as Jim Fairley, Hiftu Quasem (The Witcher, Ten P.c) as Priya Chandra, Sophie Bould (Name The Midwife, Intercourse Schooling) as Elizabeth Harte and Georgina Sadler (Silo, Boarders) as Polly.
The Buccaneers scribes Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley are penning A Girl of Substance, which follows the story of Emma Harte, an impoverished, formidable maid in Yorkshire who takes a dizzying climb to change into the world’s richest girl, gazing down on her sprawling empire from a luxurious New York penthouse. Banijay-backed The Forge is producing the brand new model and ex-Channel 4 drama boss Beth Willis is EP.
Blethyn stated: “I’m overjoyed to be taking over this iconic position, within the footsteps of the nice Deborah Kerr. As a fan of Barbara Taylor-Bradford, it’s an unmissable alternative to play the fierce Emma Harte.”
