Brenda Blethyn Contrasts Herself With Ambitious TV Character
Veteran actress Brenda Blethyn has revealed she feels worlds apart from her latest television character, admitting she has spent most of her life battling imposter syndrome while being "devoid of ambition." The 80-year-old star, best known for playing detective Vera Stanhope for 14 years on ITV, makes these candid admissions as she prepares to appear in Channel 4's new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's bestselling novel A Woman of Substance.
"I've Never Had a Plan" Says Award-Winning Actress
Blethyn plays Emma Harte at the later end of her life in the drama, which charts Harte's remarkable rise from penniless Yorkshire maid in the early 1900s to powerful New York businesswoman in the 1970s. While Harte possesses immense drive and strategic planning, Blethyn insists she shares none of these characteristics.
"Emma Harte always had this plan with a capital P. I've never had a plan. I'm devoid of ambition, always have been," the actress confessed. "I've always been fairly happy with my lot."
Blethyn attributes her successful career more to good fortune and professionalism than extraordinary talent. "I mean, many people can play the part, there's loads of people. It's not just being good," she insisted. "I think I'm quite nice to work with. Who wants to work with someone horrible?"
Overcoming Lifelong Imposter Syndrome
The actress, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, revealed she has begun to cut herself some slack after decades of self-doubt. "I've suffered most of my life from imposter syndrome - that's leaving me," she said. "I haven't got that quite so much any more."
Despite her claims of lacking ambition, Blethyn demonstrates a strong work ethic that she traces back to her childhood in Kent, where she grew up with eight siblings in poverty. "Mum and dad always used to say, 'You're as good as anybody else. And if you work hard, you can achieve things.' So that's the work ethic that Emma's mother instils in her," she explained.
Even at 80, Blethyn has no plans to retire. "I love working. I don't even think about 80 as being anything in particular. People say, 'Well, how does it feel?' It just feels normal."
From Vera's Mac to Emma's Elegance
The role of Emma Harte represents a significant departure from Blethyn's iconic character Vera Stanhope. "It was quite nice to take the hat and Mac off. This is quite a different look," she quipped. "I kind of behaved myself on this more because on Vera I threw my weight about a bit. This is like a new thing - I didn't rule the roost on it."
In the new adaptation, Jessica Reynolds plays the younger version of Emma Harte, and Blethyn found remarkable similarities between herself and her co-star. "I watched some of Jessica's filming just so that I could try and incorporate maybe a mannerism or two into the performance," she said. "Actually, I found some photographs of me at the same age as Jessica is, and we're very, very similar."
A Legacy Production Returns
The original three-part miniseries of A Woman of Substance, starring Deborah Kerr and Jenny Seagrove, aired on Channel 4 in 1985 and attracted nearly 14 million viewers, making it the channel's most successful drama of all time. Author Barbara Taylor Bradford gave her blessing to the new adaptation before her death in November 2024.
Now the first half of the novel has been expanded into eight episodes, with producers hoping a second series will follow next year to conclude the story. The production was filmed at Broughton Hall on the Yorkshire Moors outside Skipton, which doubles for the story's Fairley Hall.
Reynolds described working with Blethyn as an "absolute honour," calling her co-star "iconic." The younger actress revealed she became so immersed in her character that she struggled to let go after filming concluded. "I was speaking in a Yorkshire accent in my sleep, no joke," Reynolds admitted. "She was a real part of me and she goes through such a journey, such ups and downs. We kind of were bound together and so I wrote a wee note and said goodbye to her."
A Story of Feud and Transformation
The drama follows Emma Harte's transformation after she becomes pregnant and is betrayed by her aristocratic lover, dedicating her life to proving herself superior and seeking revenge. Her relentless pursuit eventually makes her the richest woman in the world.
Katherine Jakeways, who adapted the novel for television, promised viewers an emotional rollercoaster. "We're going to see more romance, more sex, more betrayal," she said. "Emma does the full gamut from huge joy and being deliriously happy and in love, to grief and trauma. But the main thing I hope that people will find is that it's really great fun."
A Woman of Substance premieres on Channel 4 on Wednesday 11 March at 9pm, marking both a return of a television classic and a revealing insight into one of Britain's most beloved actresses who, despite her claims of lacking ambition, continues to captivate audiences eight decades into her life.
