EastEnders icon confirmed to play daughter of Vera legend Brenda Blethyn in first look at glossy new remake of beloved drama

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Jo Joyner, known for her role in EastEnders, has joined the cast of Channel 4’s upcoming remake of the classic story, A Woman of Substance.

Brenda Blethyn, known for her role in ‘Vera,’ will star in a new eight-part series based on Barbara Taylor Bradford’s novel. She plays Emma Harte, a woman whose life is an incredible story of rising from poverty to wealth.

Both Lesley Manville and Jessica Reynolds portray the character of Emma. Reynolds plays a younger version of Emma, while Manville takes on the role later in the story. They follow in the footsteps of Deborah Kerr and Jenny Seagrove, who previously played the same characters in a 1985 television adaptation.

This event drives Emma to seek revenge against people she believes have betrayed her, and Elizabeth is definitely one of them. Here’s a sneak peek at Joyner’s performance, shared by Channel 4.

Throughout the series, we’ll follow Emma’s journey from a poor but determined maid in 1911 to becoming the wealthiest woman in the world decades later. She overcomes obstacles and breaks barriers along the way.

“Her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes,” teases the synopsis.

The cast of ‘A Woman of Substance’ features Emmett J Scanlan (‘Mobland’), Lydia Leonard (‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light’), Will Mellor (‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’), Lenny Rush (‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’), and Robert Wilfort (‘Gavin & Stacey’).

Keep an eye out for appearances by Leanne Best, known from “This City Is Ours,” Ewan Horrocks (“The Last Kingdom”), Harry Cadby (“In Flight”), Toby Regbo (“A Discovery of Witches”), Hiftu Quasem (“The Witcher”), Georgina Sadler (“Boarders”), and Niall Wright (“Slow Horses”).

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This project reunites key members of the creative team from Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers. That includes screenwriters Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley, and director John Hardwick, who led the initial filming sessions.

Channel 4’s Rebecca Holdsworth praised the scripts by Katherine and Roanne, saying their quality helped attract a fantastic cast. She expressed excitement about bringing this new, daring, and captivating adaptation of a beloved book to the channel.

A Woman of Substance is coming soon to stream and watch on Channel 4.

Don’t miss ‘A Woman of Substance’! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV suggestions, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig writes about TV dramas and comedies for TopMob, keeping readers up-to-date on the best new shows and series. Before joining TopMob, he worked at Starburst Magazine, hosted the podcast ‘The Winter King’ for ITVX, and earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Sheffield.

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2026-01-14 14:35