Channel 4 has announced the second season of its hit drama A Woman Of Substance, starring Vera's Brenda Blethyn and Outlander's Jessica Reynolds. The series, based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's novels, will begin filming in Yorkshire later this year.
Record-Breaking First Season
Series one became Channel 4 streaming's most-watched drama in five years, since It's a Sin, with an average audience of 3 million per episode. The first season ended with Emma's granddaughter and chosen heir, Paula, revealing she had secretly married into the Fairley family, potentially undoing a lifetime of revenge.
What to Expect in Season Two
The synopsis for the second season reads: "In this new series, we rejoin the unstoppable Emma Harte as she emerges from World War I and strides into the glittering, fast-changing world of the 1920s." Emma's ambition for the Harte name is unrelenting, as is her determination to make the Fairley family pay. But she has passion to contend with in the form of the infuriatingly charismatic Paul McGill, and she'll also endure devastating loss and face unexpected betrayals. Meanwhile, in the 1970s, Emma battles to win back her life's work from Jim Fairley.
Creative Team and Episode Count
Katherine Jakeways (The Buccaneers) will return to write series two alongside Roanne Bardsley (The Buccaneers, Screw). The second season will comprise eight hour-long episodes.
Reactions from Channel 4 and the Bradford Trust
Interim Head of Channel 4 drama, Gwawr Lloyd, said: "Following the incredible success and popularity of the brilliant first series, we’re thrilled to be bringing the incomparable and iconic Emma Harte back to Channel 4 again. Series two will continue Emma’s story with all the ambition, drama and family intrigue that made A Woman of Substance such a compelling and irresistible watch."
H.E. Vicki Downey, Trustee of The Barbara Taylor Bradford Trust, added: "Emma Harte is a woman who refuses to be defeated by poverty, by betrayal and by the limitations others place upon her. That story has resonated with readers for nearly five decades, and it is clear from the response to the new TV adaptation that audiences feel exactly the same connection. There is so much more of Emma's world to explore, and we are thrilled that Channel 4 is bringing the next part of Emma’s extraordinary life to the screen."
