A Woman of Substance
Created by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The life of Emma Harte, from kitchen maid at the beginning of the 20th-century, to respected businesswoman and grandmother in the 1980s. From humble beginnings, Emma Harte starts her business with a small shop, but over the next twenty years, she expands her stores and invests in the growing textile industry in Leeds. From TMDB
45 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 19, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
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Critics, per Wikipedia
The first series received positive reviews, with Mail+ calling it a "stunning adaptation", and Woman & Home describing it as "absolutely glorious" and a "powerful, feminist watch". In a five star review for The Daily Mail, Christopher Stevens described the "brilliant rags-to-riches epic" as "an outrageously guilty pleasure". Hollie Richardson of The Guardian described it as "another wonderful (and horny) retelling" of the novel, and Helen Fear of TV Guide said that "if you're a fan of period dramas" then this "quality series" is "a great yarn". Anna Walker wrote for The Conversation that the series is "visually sumptuous", taking place in an "unapologetically glossy period world", adding…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
45 of 45 · most liked firstAh, just seen this. I loved A Woman of Substance - it was a TV series on Sunday nights when I was growing up and it definitely influenced me in terms of what women can achieve.
unlabelledView post →TV update: A Woman of Substance is a very daft series which consists of cliché after cliché after cliché AND ends halfway through the book, so it's clearly hoping for a second season I bet it won't get. The Other Bennet Girl, however, is charming Sunday-night-bonnet viewing. Sedate but ❤️warming.
unlabelledView post →I’m rereading a series I adored when I was a teenager. I’m on the first book A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford.
unlabelledView post →The TV mini-series of A Woman of Substance was a 1980s camp classic.
unlabelledView post →Went for a piss and dropped my glasses in the toilet. On a positive tho, "A Woman of Substance" is an amazing series. Powerful, loved it.
unlabelledView post →Watched A Woman of Substance live last night (I'm in it, did I say?). Haven't watch live telly with ads for a while, was surprised to see an ITV show advertised on Channel 4. Is that a thing now? It seemed so strange to this child of the 80s.
unlabelledView post →You definitely can’t decline that deal. Glad that worked out for you. I really think you will like A Woman of Substance. The book is fantastic! And if I recall, I think there are three books in the series. It’s been a moment since I’ve read them.😅 The author is Barbara Taylor Bradford.
unlabelledView post →rarely give recs, so thankful for some u creatives give especially when traveling So here’s one from me: if you have BritBox the series version of A Woman of Substance Brenda Blethyn is always a great watch (Vera++) but Jessica Reynolds just made me want to look for her in future projects #BB28
unlabelledView post →I *loved* A Woman of Substance when I was a teen, and the tv show too. Formative stuff.
unlabelledView post →For Americans looking forward to 'A Woman of Substance,' BritBox has confirmed the series will debut stateside this summer.
unlabelledView post →Goodbye Barbara, and thanks for A Woman of Substance which is a brilliant epic and has entertained me many times, I absolutely love the mini series with Jenny Seagrove.
unlabelledView post →Thank you, Great Britain, for regularly providing me with series for septuagenarians that should be TV movies, but with a big budget for costume bodice-rippers. My latest find is "A Woman of Substance", and of course I’ll watch season 2.
unlabelledView post →My piece for the i newspaper on Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance. A look back at Thatcher, and an era of male domination of book-reviewing - I wouldn't have been writing about this book for a national newspaper back in the day clothesinbooks.blogspot.com/2026/03/cult...
unlabelledView post →These two shows debuted on British TV today in 1985. Jenny Seagrove starred in A Woman of Substance a 3 part miniseries shown over 3 consecutive nights on Channel 4. Daytime drama Gems began on ITV. Running for 3 series and shown 2-3 times a week. An early role for Liz Hurley.
unlabelledView post →Really sad. I read A Woman of Substance series many many years ago and loved it ❤️
unlabelledView post →Not an unreasonable choice. We’ve just finished series two of Reacher (and series six of NYPD Blue). I’d seen hype for the new version of A Woman of Substance and saw that the 80s series was available. We’ve seen two of three 90 minute episodes and it’s great. Very much of its time.
unlabelledView post →#WhatImWatching 1 Currently juggling 3 series Just finished the last episode of A Woman of Substance (2026) starring the incredible Brenda Blethyn, a large cast with every person delivering impeccable performances, and beautiful Yorkshire scenery Thrilled there will be a second season!!!
unlabelledView post →Had the pleasure of talking to Jessica Reynolds and legendary actress Brenda Blethyn about their shared role in the new series adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance, now streaming in North America on BritBox.
unlabelledView post →A Woman Of Substance Renewed For Series 2 By Channel 4 As Brenda Blethyn & Jessica Reynolds Return www.geektown.co.uk/2026/06/22/a...
unlabelledView post →#AWomanOfSubstance renewed for second series on Channel 4. More details: www.tvzoneuk.com/post/awomano...
unlabelledView post →Happy bookish birthdays, 10 May, to: Barbara Taylor Bradford (A Woman of Substance), Bel Kaufman (Up the Down Staircase), John Scalzi (Old Man's War series)... ilmk.wordpress.com/2026/05/10/h...
unlabelledView post →A bit of New York in Liverpool. Liverpool is standing in, once again, for The Big Apple for filming - this time for the upcoming Channel 4 series 'A Woman of Substance' starring Brenda Blethyn. Pic taken outside the Liver Building. #liverpoolfilm #royalliverbuilding #liverpoolasnewyork
unlabelledView post →Filming of the series: A Woman of Substance - Liverpool
unlabelledView post →Happy bookish birthdays, 10 May, to: Barbara Taylor Bradford (A Woman of Substance), Bel Kaufman (Up the Down Staircase), John Scalzi (Old Man's War series)... ilmk.wordpress.com/2025/05/10/h...
unlabelledView post →Has anyone tried writing an epistolic novel told entirely in skeets? That might be a fun experiment. Imagine A Woman of Substance in skeeets instead of a series of letters.
unlabelledView post →Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies Her books included A Woman of Substance, which sold 30 million copies and became a hit TV series.. #rssbbcnews
unlabelledView post →I like how every episode of the TV show, A Woman of Substance, ends with a character exclaiming, “Emma Harte truly is a woman of substance!”
unlabelledView post →Movie TV Tech Geeks #TVFeatures #AWomanofSubstance #Britbox #Drama 'Downton Abbey' Meets 'Succession' in BritBox's 8-Part Period Drama http://dlvr.it/TVLpBF
unlabelledView post →I’m a big British tv show fan (Nordic noirs too). Anyhoo…..how can one man be so repulsive on one series and so sexy on another? Hasn’t changed appearance. Emmett J. Scanlan in A Woman of Substance made my skin crawl and on Girlfriends he’s kinda cute.
unlabelledView post →It’s official! Filming is now underway on Series 2 of A Woman of Substance for Channel 4, with Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds both set to reprise their roles as the older and younger Emma, as the drama continues, with the new series set to release in 2027. #AWomanOfSubstance #Channel4 #uktv
unlabelledView post →Movie TV Tech Geeks #TVReviews #AWomanofSubstance #Britbox #Drama BritBox's 8-Part Revenge Tale Remake 'A Woman of Substance' Ends on an Explosive Note | Review http://dlvr.it/TTBpPx
unlabelledView post →‘A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE’: STORY OF PERSEVERANCE THAT WILL IMPRESS. Review of the #BritBox series #AWomanofSubstance. #PeriodDrama https://rissiwrites.com/2026/06/a-woman-of-substance-perseverance-will-impress.html
unlabelledView post →'A Woman of Substance' Renewed for Season 2!! #AWomanofSubstance, #BrendaBlethyn, #BritBox, #JessicaReynolds
unlabelledView post →Channel 4 has renewed ‘A Woman of Substance’ for Series 2, with Brenda Blethyn and Jessica Reynolds returning as Emma Harte. The new series picks up in the 1920s, with ambition, betrayal, romance, and revenge all still very much on the table... www.geektown.co.uk/2026/06/22/a...
unlabelledView post →Movie TV Tech Geeks #TVNews #AWomanofSubstance #Drama #Channel4 New ‘Downton Abbey’ Replacement Officially Earns Early Season 2 Renewal After Record-Breaking Figures http://dlvr.it/TT96H2
unlabelledView post →Channel 4 have confirmed that #AWomanOfSubstance will return for a second series. More details: www.tvzoneuk.com/post/awomano...
unlabelledView post →Movie TV Tech Geeks #TVNews #Britbox #AWomanofSubstance #Drama BritBox’s Next Big Historical Epic Gets Must-See First Look [Exclusive] http://dlvr.it/TSTb4j
unlabelledView post →A Woman Of Substance was great. Hope they'll make another series (I think there are several Emma Harte novels)
unlabelledView post →Watching a Woman of Substance and the most preposterous thing is they have these three waif maids, proper skinny, then they show their day jobs. Sorry but no, they should be buff and going on Gladiators.
unlabelledView post →I loved the mini series and the books. The Emma Harte saga was GOOD! Mind you, I only read the original three in the series: A Woman of Substance Hold the Dream To Be the Best 💜💫✨🤌🏾🫶🏽
unlabelledView post →Been a very very long time since I’ve read the book or watched the original series of A Woman of Substance but this feels like a different beast already. And Blackie has become Mac (not even Mackie?) apparently. (Edited 21:13 via @skeetsapp.com)
unlabelledView post →Behind the scenes from A Woman of Substance filming in Liverpool last summer. The series premieres tonight at 9pm on Channel 4. 🎬
unlabelledView post →'A Woman of Substance': British Mystery Icon Brenda Blethyn Returns to TV in a Brand-New Adaptation!! #BrendaBlethyn, #Vera, #AWomanofSubstance https://movizark.com/2025/05/01/a-woman-of-substance-british-mystery-icon-brenda-blethyn-returns-to-tv-in-a-brand-new-adaptation/
unlabelledView post →Really enjoyed “A Woman of Substance” and others. The mini-series was great too.
unlabelledView post →So sorry to hear about the death of Barbara Taylor-Bradford. I had the honour of meeting her at a book signing of her hardback novel Angel in June 1993 - a book that I still have. A Woman of Substance trilogy remains one of my favourite mini series. The world has lost a wonderful storyteller.
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