Reboot of Noughties period drama returning to TV – 22 years after final episode

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.

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.

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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.”

The new series is set to air on Channel 5 in late 2025.