Channel 4’s record-breaking 1984 drama A Woman of Substance starring Liam Neeson is getting a remake four decades on.
The three-part mini-series drew in an astonishing 13.8 million viewers for the dramatic finale when the adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s novel first aired in the 1980s.
The six-hour Emmy-nominated drama, also starring Deborah Kerr and Jenny Seagrove, has been praised as ‘absolutely fantastic’ and some people’s ‘all-time favourite’.
The ‘rags-to-riches’ plot follows ambitious serving girl Emma Harte (Deborah) in 1911 Yorkshire and her ‘irresistible and dizzying climb to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down on her sprawling empire from a luxury New York penthouse’.
The tale of the ‘housemaid-turned-mogul’ shows ‘feminist icon’ Emma defying expectations of the role of a woman in the 20th century as she does whatever it takes to ascend the echelons of society.
In the 1984 trilogy, the Taken star plays Emma’s lifelong friend Shane ‘Blackie’ O’Neill.
The new eight-part revenge romp will be written by The Bucaaners’ Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley.
In a statement about the timely re-imagining, Katherine 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.’
Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, promises a ‘thrillingly entertaining’ and ‘fiercely relevant’ drama.
‘A Woman of Substance is an all-you-can-eat-banquet of drama for contemporary audiences who – like Emma Harte – want it all,’ Beth Willis, Executive Producer at The Forge added.
The original drama has received rave reviews from audiences over the years.
‘Another great piece of work! Simply love it! Great adaptation from the book. Emma Harte is one of my all time favorite fiction heroines,’ one anonymous Rotten Tomatoes user wrote.
‘This is an absolutely fantastic film. It’s full of drama, love, the rotten actions of cowardly men. I always wanted to be Emma,’ another echoed.
‘This just has to be the best television mini-series ever produced,’ one fan wrote.
For those keen to watch the 1980s version before delving into the new adaptation, all three episodes are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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