Brenda Blethyn refused to watch original Woman of Substance for bombshell reason

Vera star Brenda Blethyn is currently appearing in one of her first roles since the end of the detective drama in Channel 4's lavish remake of A Woman of Substance, but the 80-year-old acting legend admits she has never seen the original version. The eight-part series, which lands in its entirety on the broadcaster's player on Wednesday, March 11 and will air weekly, is the second time they have adapted Barbara Taylor Bradford's epic 1979 tome. Their 1985 version, which starred Hollywood's The King and I icon Deborah Kerr, remains their most-watched production ever, with 13.8 million people tuning in for the final part of the three-part miniseries.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk and other media at the launch of the new show, Brenda, who plays the older version of matriarch Emma Harte, the titular character, confessed she was worried she would simply do an impression of Deborah. "I knew about it. I didn't see it [at the time]. But I have bought the DVD, and I was about to watch it, and I thought, no, if I do that, I'm gonna be playing Deborah Kerr, and not playing Emma Harte. So I'm saving it," she revealed, adding "I love Deborah Kerr".

Brenda's co-star Jessica Reynolds admitted a similar dilemma. The Irish actress plays the younger version of Brenda's character, who was portrayed by Jenny Seagrove in the original.

Admitting she had checked it out she said: "I watched nearly the first half, and was so taken by Jenny Seagrove in it that I had to stop myself.

"I was going, 'Oh no, I'm gonna start pinching what she's doing', genuinely because she's very sparkly endearing and lovable.

"...There is something special about it. And then Barbara's writing and her world, it's all there. So I can see why people fell in love with it. But I stopped myself," she confessed.

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Brenda also admitted she had to "find it in her" to portray the character's ambition, which she doesn't share. Emma becomes a global titan of the business world having started out as a penniless maid for a wealthy family in Yorkshire in the 1900s. The sweeping saga sees her build a retail and media empire and live through two world wars and numerous heartbreaks.

"Emma Harte had this plan with a capital P. I've never had a plan," Brenda ruminated. "I'm devoid of ambition.

"I always have been fairly happy with my lot. I've been very lucky in my life and career, and so from that point of view I had to find that from somewhere to play the part.

"And I watched some of Jessica's filming just so that I could try and incorporate maybe a mannerism of hers into the performance," she revealed.