\n The 1985 series of Barbara Taylor Bradford\u2019s best-selling novel A Woman of Substance, starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr, remains Channel 4\u2019s most viewed drama.\n<\/p>\n
\n 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n The series was largely filmed at Broughton Hall near Skipton. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n Beginning in 1911 and spanning six decades, it\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n For Brenda Blethyn, the story of Emma\u2019s humble beginnings resonated. \u201cMy mum and dad were both in service; they worked in a big, posh house – it\u2019s where they met,\u201d says Brenda. \u201cMum was a maid and Dad was the chauffeur. I\u2019m 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\u2019s maid, as Emma does. She\u2019d tell me about brushing the lady\u2019s hair.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Emma Harte\u2019s work ethic is also something Brenda can relate to: \u201cIt was instilled in us as kids; my parents told us \u2018Nothing comes for free. If you want something you have to work hard to pay for it\u2019. How often do you hear someone say they\u2019re saving up for something now? It\u2019s all instant gratification.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Brenda Blethyn as Emma Harte in the 1970s. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n Emma\u2019s story spans from 1911 to the 1970s but, says Brenda, she\u2019s still relevant: \u201cShe\u2019s an inspirational woman who works hard and follows her dream. It must have been so hard for someone like Emma to succeed. She\u2019s accused of putting work before family, but whatever rung of the ladder you\u2019re on you\u2019ve got to put food on the table. She did what she had to do.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cShe\u2019s driven by injustice – she feels cheated and wants to get her own back. My mum and dad didn\u2019t have two beans to rub together but they had values. I just wish they\u2019d had Emma Harte\u2019s \u2018hutzpah\u2019 too.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Playing the \u201crichest woman in the world\u201d was a pleasant gear change for Brenda: \u201cAfter Vera, it was nice to dress up in a few nice togs!\u201d she laughs.\n<\/p>\n
\n Did she compare notes with Jessica? \u201cWell firstly I\u2019d 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\u2019s uncanny. I did ask our director, John Hardwick, if Jessica had any mannerisms I could incorporate, I picked up on a couple of things.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Brenda loved filming in Yorkshire. \u201cBeing out on the moor, with the light going, I remember thinking how beautiful it was. I\u2019d like to come back for a walking holiday,\u201d she smiles.\n<\/p>\n
\n For Jessica, the appeal of Emma initially was that \u201cshe\u2019s not led by love\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe 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\u2019s not defined by love or men.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Emma is ambitious and driven by revenge. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n She enjoyed playing Emma\u2019s different life stages: \u201cThere 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\u2019s drive never falters, she becomes the woman Brenda plays in New York.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Belfast actor Jessica pulls off a flawless Yorkshire accent: \u201cYorkshire 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\u2019s happiest moments are when she\u2019s connected to the land.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Emmett J Scanlan plays master of the Fairley house, Adam Fairley. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n Will Mellor plays Emma\u2019s father, Jack Harte. In the first episode, in a moving scene at Ilkley\u2019s Cow and Calf rocks, he carries his sick wife to \u2018the top of the world\u2019. \u201cI was offered a stunt double but I said \u2018no way\u2019. The 49-year old me insisted on doing it myself,\u201d smiles Will.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI wanted to show it was a struggle for Jack too; if my knees were going then that\u2019s playing it for real, showing his exhaustion and anguish. It\u2019s a special moment, in this stunning place with vast open spaces.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Yorkshire runs through the veins of the show. It was the happiest I\u2019ve been on a job. And it\u2019s something my mum is going to love!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Will Mellor plays Emma’s father, Jack Harte. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n Will describes Jack as \u201ca man with a big heart, who just wants to look after his family\u201d. \u201cWhen I read the script I\u2019d not long since lost my father. I knew instantly that I wanted this part. I could relate to Jack\u2019s struggle, but also his pride.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Adds Will: \u201cThe 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Lenny Rush, who plays Frank, Emma\u2019s brother, says: \u201cIt\u2019s 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!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Lenny in a scene with Jessica and Will. Image: Channel 4\n<\/p>\n
\n For Halifax actor Ewan Horrocks (Edwin Fairley), one particular scene was memorable: \u201cMy gran came along to watch a scene at Keighley station – there were 100 soldiers there. She loved it!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
A Woman of Substance continues on Channel 4 on Wednesday at 9pm and the whole series is available to stream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 1985 series of Barbara Taylor Bradford\u2019s best-selling novel A Woman of Substance, starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-475323","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-tv","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}