Months after she bid adieu to Vera, Brenda Blethyn has secured a leading role in Channel 4’s Woman of Substance.

Adapted from Barbara Taylor Bradford’s 1979 novel, the eight-part series will serve as a reboot, after Jenny Seagrove, Deborah Kerr and Liam Neeson fronted a hugely successful version for the broadcaster in 1985.

A certified hit, the original adaptation, which is now 40 years old, remains Channel 4’s most-watched drama ever after securing close to 14 million viewers, so the latest reimagining has big shoes to fill

Ahead of its premiere, fans have been given a first glimpse of the reboot, which recalls the rags-to-riches tale of Yorkshire maid turned pioneering businesswoman, Emma Harte.

Here’s what we know so far…

A Woman of Substance: Release date

According to Channel 4, transmission details have yet to be announced, however, given the 40-year anniversary of the 1985 mini-series, it’s widely expected that A Woman of Substance will debut in late 2025.

Watch this space, as soon as we have word on a release date, you’ll find it here.

Brenda Blethyn will play an older version of Emma Harte Channel 4

A Woman of Substance: Plot

An official synopsis teases: “1911. Emma Harte, an impoverished ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, 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.”

Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley, known for their work on Apple TV’s hit period drama, The Buccaneers, have adapted Bradford’s beloved novel for the screen.

Jessica Reynolds will portray a younger version of Emma Channel 4

Speaking about the project, Katherine Jakeways said: “I was a child in the ’80s, when A Woman of Substance was on every bookstand, every glass-topped coffee table and hidden, well-thumbed, under every pillow. The original Channel 4 adaptation was packed full of rolling Yorkshire hills, hairspray, shoulder pads and heaving bosoms and I desperately wanted in.

“So, it’s an incredible thrill for me to be bringing this blockbusting, epic saga of ambition, lust and revenge back to exactly where it belongs…Channel 4. And, we hope, doing justice to those twin feminist icons: the unstoppable Emma Harte and the original, inspirational Woman of Substance herself… Barbara Taylor Bradford.”

A Woman of Substance: Cast

Billed as a ‘revenge romp’, A Woman of Substance takes place across two different timelines, with Jessica Reynolds playing a young Emma Harte, while Brenda Blethyn portrays the character in her later years.

“As a fan of Barbara Taylor-Bradford, it is an unmissable opportunity to play the fierce Emma Harte,” Brenda said, noting that she was “overjoyed” to inherit the role from Deborah Kerr.

Also among the cast, Emmett J Scanlan, Lydia Leonard, Leanne Best, Ewan Horrocks, Harry Cadby, Will Mellor, Lenny Rush, Niall Wright and Robert Wilfort have been confirmed to star.