Channel 4 has cast the leads for its upcoming remake of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman Of Substance.

Double Oscar-nominee Brenda Blethyn will play the older Emma Harte and Jessica Reynolds is the younger version of the iconic character.

The remake of the rags-to-riches tale comes 40 years after the first Channel 4 version of A Woman of Substance, which starred Jenny Seagrove and remains its most watched drama of all time. Taylor Bradford died last November aged 91.

Joining the cast are Emmett J Scanlan (Kin, Mobland) as Adam Fairley, Lydia Leonard (The Mirror and The Light, Gentleman Jack) as Olivia Wainwright, Leanne Best (This City Is Ours, Line of Duty) as Adele Fairley, Ewan Horrocks (The Last Kingdom, Domina) as Edwin Fairley, Harry Cadby (In Flight, Everything Now) as Gerald Fairley, Will Mellor (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Line of Duty) as Jack Harte, BAFTA-winning Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable,...