3 hours Ago By Caron McKinlay
REBOOT of a Noughties period drama is returning to TV – 22 years after its final episode on air.This will be the third TV adaptation of the drama in 60 years as the portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London is recreated once more.SplashReboot of a Noughties period drama is returning to TV – 22 years after its final episode on air[/caption]BBCMille Gibson played the much loved Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa[/caption]Channel 5 has announced it has secured the UK broadcast rights for the sweeping period drama The Forsytes, based on John Galsworthy’s novel series The Forsyte Saga.
Originally commissioned by Masterpiece on PBS and produced by Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, the drama will soon be on our screens.Written by Poldark screenwriter Debbie Horsfield, the series chronicles the lives of four generations of an upper-class family of stockbrokers.And it is set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving late-Victorian world.
Sticklers for tradition and status, the older Forsytes prize duty and reputation above all else, whilst the younger members rail against the rigidity of family expectations. The question of who will take over the family firm puts Soames Forsyte and his cousin Jolyon in conflict just as their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of two remarkable women. Ultimately each Forsyte family member grapples with the same dilemma – is it better to be ruled by the head or the heart?John Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize in 1932 for The Forsyte Saga and the series was adapted into films in both 1967 and 2002.
The fabulous ensemble cast includes Dr Who’s Ruby Sunday, Millie Gibson who plays Irene Heron, the dancer, who is known for her scandalous manner when it comes to men.BAFTA winner Francesca Annis (Flesh and Blood) plays formidable Forsyte matriarch Ann, with Stephen Moyer (True Blood) as her eldest son Jolyon Snr, head of the family stockbroking firm Forsyte & Co. Danny Griffin plays his bohemian son Jolyon Jnr, and Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey: A New Era) is Jolyon Jnr’s status-driven wife Frances.
Eleanor Tomlinson (One Day) is Louisa Byrne, a Soho dressmaker and Jolyon Jnr’s first love.While Jack Davenport (The Morning Show) plays Ann’s competitive younger son James, with Joshua Orpin (Titans) as James’ ambitious son Soames. Tom Durant-Pritchard (Baby Reindeer) plays Monty Dartie, James’ son-in-law and Josette Simon OBE (Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy) is Mrs.
Ellen Parker Barrington, a wealthy heiress and friend of the Forsyte family.Top Channel 5 dramasChannel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer. All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s.
Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple.
But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve. Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive.
..Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair.
However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead. The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him.
But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long? Rounding up the star studded cast are Jamie Flatters (Avatar: The Way Of Water) as architect Philip Bosinney and Owen Igiehon (Disclaimer) as lawyer Isaac Cole. And last but not least, Susan Hampshire, OBE (who starred in the 1967 BBC Forsyte Saga and won the first of her three lead actress Emmys for the role) plays Lady Carteret.The Forsytes is directed by Meenu Gaur (Murder Is Easy) and Annetta Laufer (Get Millie Black) and is produced by Sarah Lewis (The Long Shadow).
Damien Timmer, Chief Creative Officer and Founder, Mammoth Screen, said: “It’s been a joy working with Debbie Horsfield and our magnificent cast on series 1 of The Forsytes for MASTERPIECE on PBS, and we’re thrilled UK viewers are going to be able to watch it on 5, which has become such a destination for drama audiences. Let the saga commence!”Susanne Simpson, Head of Scripted Content and Executive Producer at Masterpiece said: “We can’t wait to bring The Forsytes to our Masterpiece viewers in the US, and we’re thrilled that the series has a UK home at 5. “With brilliant actors and an amazing crew, Mammoth Screen has created a sumptuous reimagining of a classic that will delight audiences around the world.
”Not known, clear with picture deskMillie is a blushing bride in the new Forsyte Saga set to air late 2025[/caption]The new series is set to air on Channel 5 in late 2025..
