The 1985 series of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s best-selling novel A Woman of Substance, starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr, remains Channel 4’s most viewed drama.
Now the epic saga is back on TV, in a new adaptation filmed in Yorkshire – with locations including Ilkley Moor, Broughton Hall near Skipton and Keighley railway station. The eight-part drama, which started this week, stars Brenda Blethyn as the older Emma Harte, with Jessica Reynolds playing young Emma.
The series was largely filmed at Broughton Hall near Skipton. Image: Channel 4
Beginning in 1911 and spanning six decades, it’s the story of a young housemaid who works for the aristocratic Fairley family. Betrayed by her lover and cast out by his family, she vows revenge. Through love, loss, war and unrelenting ambition, Emma amasses power and shapes her own destiny. But as she approaches her 80th birthday, betrayal from her own family threatens everything she has fought to build.
For Brenda Blethyn, the story of Emma’s humble beginnings resonated. “My mum and dad were both in service; they worked in a big, posh house – it’s where they met,” says Brenda. “Mum was a maid and Dad was the chauffeur. I’m the youngest of nine, when I was born Mum was in her 40s. I was fascinated by their early years, and I knew A Woman of Substance was about that world. Mum was a kitchen maid, who worked her way up to be lady’s maid, as Emma does. She’d tell me about brushing the lady’s hair.”
Emma Harte’s work ethic is also something Brenda can relate to: “It was instilled in us as kids; my parents told us ‘Nothing comes for free. If you want something you have to work hard to pay for it’. How often do you hear someone say they’re saving up for something now? It’s all instant gratification.”
Brenda Blethyn as Emma Harte in the 1970s. Image: Channel 4
Emma’s story spans from 1911 to the 1970s but, says Brenda, she’s still relevant: “She’s an inspirational woman who works hard and follows her dream. It must have been so hard for someone like Emma to succeed. She’s accused of putting work before family, but whatever rung of the ladder you’re on you’ve got to put food on the table. She did what she had to do.
“She’s driven by injustice – she feels cheated and wants to get her own back. My mum and dad didn’t have two beans to rub together but they had values. I just wish they’d had Emma Harte’s ‘hutzpah’ too.”
Playing the “richest woman in the world” was a pleasant gear change for Brenda: “After Vera, it was nice to dress up in a few nice togs!” she laughs.
Did she compare notes with Jessica? “Well firstly I’d like to say that Jessica Reynolds is an absolute breath of fresh air. What a wonderful performance she gives in this series. I looked through my photos to find a photo of me at that age, and I looked just like Jessica, it’s uncanny. I did ask our director, John Hardwick, if Jessica had any mannerisms I could incorporate, I picked up on a couple of things.”
Brenda loved filming in Yorkshire. “Being out on the moor, with the light going, I remember thinking how beautiful it was. I’d like to come back for a walking holiday,” she smiles.
For Jessica, the appeal of Emma initially was that “she’s not led by love”.
“The piece fights against period drama cliches, Emma was driven by the desire to better herself. She has her eyes on the prize. We all love romance and Emma is a very romantic person, but she’s not defined by love or men.”
Emma is ambitious and driven by revenge. Image: Channel 4
She enjoyed playing Emma’s different life stages: “There were such big shifts, from Emma as a young maid with that working-class fire in her to when she becomes a different version of herself to survive. She changes her accent and the way she looks. It was a hard transition, I felt like she was neglecting her true roots. Then she finds her feet and becomes a more self-assured version of herself. Emma’s drive never falters, she becomes the woman Brenda plays in New York.”
Belfast actor Jessica pulls off a flawless Yorkshire accent: “Yorkshire is tricky because it works the jaw and mouth a lot, unlike my own, but we had a brilliant dialect coach. Once I found the accent I stayed in it, I started speaking Yorkshire in my sleep! The locations were breathtaking. Some of Emma’s happiest moments are when she’s connected to the land.”
Emmett J Scanlan plays master of the Fairley house, Adam Fairley. Image: Channel 4
Will Mellor plays Emma’s father, Jack Harte. In the first episode, in a moving scene at Ilkley’s Cow and Calf rocks, he carries his sick wife to ‘the top of the world’. “I was offered a stunt double but I said ‘no way’. The 49-year old me insisted on doing it myself,” smiles Will.
“I wanted to show it was a struggle for Jack too; if my knees were going then that’s playing it for real, showing his exhaustion and anguish. It’s a special moment, in this stunning place with vast open spaces.
“Yorkshire runs through the veins of the show. It was the happiest I’ve been on a job. And it’s something my mum is going to love!”
Will Mellor plays Emma’s father, Jack Harte. Image: Channel 4
Will describes Jack as “a man with a big heart, who just wants to look after his family”. “When I read the script I’d not long since lost my father. I knew instantly that I wanted this part. I could relate to Jack’s struggle, but also his pride.”
Adds Will: “The set was amazing; all the supporting artists dressed up, and the horses and carriages. You see different worlds: 1970s New York and the Harte home and Fairley household in early 1900s.”
Lenny Rush, who plays Frank, Emma’s brother, says: “It’s cool to be involved in a drama that will mean a lot to so many people. The Yorkshire accent was daunting. One line came out like I was from South America!”
Lenny in a scene with Jessica and Will. Image: Channel 4
For Halifax actor Ewan Horrocks (Edwin Fairley), one particular scene was memorable: “My gran came along to watch a scene at Keighley station – there were 100 soldiers there. She loved it!”
A Woman of Substance continues on Channel 4 on Wednesday at 9pm and the whole series is available to stream.