Thoughts on A Woman Of Substance - the new series versus original and book? Spoiler Alert

[PinkTonic]

Setting up a thread to have a decent discussion of the new version compared to the original series and book.

I’m up to episode 5 personally and pretty nonplussed about what I consider to be pointless and gratuitous changes to characters and plot. I’d love to hear other opinions and don’t care what episodes are discussed. I think Brenda Blethyn is all kinds of wrong for Emma although I like the young version. I am immensely irritated that someone thought it was a good idea to completely omit how Emma started her business and life in Leeds whilst wasting time on the sordid details of Adam’s sex life. And no Laura!!

It's just as bad later with the Aussie guy, even worse perhaps as he's supposed to be this hunk who is the love of her life and yet also kisses like a lion eating a hyena.

That’s Barry Bostwick saviour of all 1980’s mini series

watch The 1985 version- it’s magnificent

I did rewatch it, and was so disappointed in it. I remembered it as being absolutely wonderful- but it was so patchy and awkward.

It’s very much of its time, but it evoked such strong emotions and memories, of watching with my university housemates.

Rather disappointed with it all.
I'm so glad that I read the original books, they were a "seven-book saga" with so much more detail and many more characters.

I had to watch it with zero expectations. Personally the lecturing overly feisty Emma portrayal missed the mark for me. The whole point about Emma was her cool calm collectiveness. I felt like they complicated it where it

Looking forward to season 2 , hopefully it fills in the gaps

Laura shows up in later episodes. And while it's an odd choice not to include Emma's "true love," Paul, the father of Paula, this series is going to have a second season and I think they will tell his story there (it will give the young actress playing Emma a chance to return). I admit I never cared much for Paul or the silly melodrama about his wife and his secretary keeping him from Emma (not my favorite part). The hopeful ending of the first book and the first series (which ended the feud) has been lost, but the subsequent books undid the original ending eventually anyway (I like it the way it was).

I've done everything the wrong way round

I enjoyed the 2026 series , I then tried to watch the 1985 version but I couldn't get into it at all

I'm now reading the book which is massive and I'm only half way through which I'm finding a bit boring in parts, I want to finish it though so I'm going to persevere .