A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE - Wed&Thur - ch4 9pm - TV PACE NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

A woman of substance Was originally aired 41 years ago and remains channel 4 highest rated program with 13.8 million people tuning in to the rags to riches story of by BARBARA Taylor Bradford

this drama eight episodes - two a week for four weeks

This new adaptation stars as the older EMMA who heads up a business empire we discover as she stepped back through the decades to meet her younger self that she started out of a maid in a big Yorkshire house

This is a story to climb from poverty to great wealth

I don’t think I’ve ever read any of her books so should be interesting if any good

@Blondeshavemorefun, I think it is available not only on More 4, but lots of streaming services. I have always been able to find it for a rewatch. Whilst it is very 'of its time', it is a far better watch than the current series. I think the old format of having a couple of long episodes (a proper Sunday afternoon watch) suits it better than dragging it out over 8 episodes. They also just did melodrama better back then 😂

Yes I’ve started watching it tonight @Dameputtingonabraveface. On ch 4. It looks soooooooo old and tainted 🙀😂

I thought I would watch new episode each week. Then watch the old version weekly so I don’t ruin the story for myself and just why Emma hates the family so much

Me too

Me too

Have watched all episodes. Isn’t a patch on the original and older Emma doesn’t convince me. She just isn’t very nice and it seems somewhat dated even though it’s brand new.

Paula is awful casting and is she mixed race? Who was her Mother and Father again?

Well seen e1 of 1985 version

def prefer 2026

Oh. Just reliesed that Liam N is blackie - from love actually in 1985

Why is the head butler so awful

And Miranda R is in it as well. She will always been queenie to me from blackadder

He is an arse isn’t he - slapping faces

@Dameputtingonabraveface I don't think it feels like a channel 5 drama at all

I wasn't sure about this but thought I'd give it a try and am really enjoying it so far

Adele is really nasty

I’ve watched 4 episodes and although I get the original looks old fashioned now so they’ve updated it, I just don’t understand the reason for all the plot changes. The original was true to the book but this isn’t. Emma wasn’t driven by revenge, she was driven by a need for more money than she’d ever need to make sure she was never poor again. Yes she got her own back on the Fairleys when the opportunity arose but she wasn’t driven by it. I don’t know why they left out Winston and made Frank a small person, and have they done colour blind casting because otherwise I don’t understand the choices for Paula and Edwin’s fiancée (who didn’t exist in the book)? I don’t understand leaving out important characters and significant parts of the plot and adding in all the stuff about Adam and Adele/ Olivia which was never in the book to begin with. And I’m sorry but Emma was elegant and beautiful. Brenda Blethyn is playing a dumpy, bitter old woman.

I've watched all of the episodes now, and I agree with you entirely about the use of artistic licence in this version. I loved the young Emma in this series, the older version I didn't, she's unrecognisable in every respect.
I won't give away any spoilers, however I very much enjoyed young Emma's scenes in the final episode (actually shouted 'go Emma' at the telly 😂). I didn't enjoy (at all) any of the modern day scenes in the final episode.

Loving Lenny Rush, he’s a real scene stealer, such a talented actor.

‘Sighs’

Can we not talk of stuff that hasn’t been shown please

have seen 2 episodes

3&4 on this week

Mack???

Is Blackie O’Neil really not ok?

Yes, I know it doesn’t affect the story but when you have read the books things like this irritate and genuinely seem silly and almost ridiculing genuine racism.

Did you report my post for spoilers?

‘sighs’

It didn’t mention anything not shown in the first two episodes

I know, daft isn't it.

Though as we all know "MacSmiths" clean chimneys dont they, which must be where he got his nickname 🙄

Jenny Seagrove is a phenomenal actress. She is in lots of plays at Windsor Theatre.

This just isn’t doing it for me. It’s all kinds of wrong. It’s like when they change the Agatha Christie books. Like the tv executives know better than the author. No you don’t.

I saw it had been hidden so guessed a spoiler had been reported

I binged watched the lot and really enjoyed it.

I quoted your post, and can confirm there was no spoiler in it. Indeed, I thought your post was one of the more interesting on the thread 🙈🙂

It had been deleted by the time I looked

Now I'm wondering why it had been deleted 🤔