The BBC has announced it will be airing a new series called The Portrait of a Lady, which is based on a beloved classic novel. They’ve also revealed a fantastic group of actors who will star in the show.
This six-episode show is adapted from Henry James’s 1881 novel. It tells the story of Isabel Archer, who comes into a modest inheritance, but quickly becomes the target of two manipulative people.
The main cast features Nell Tiger Free, known for her role in The First Omen, as Isabel. She’s joined by a talented group of actors including Jim Sturgess (from Mix Tape), Miranda Richardson, Gemma Arterton, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Bill Nighy.
Isabel is a spirited and lively young woman from America who travels to Europe seeking adventure and freedom. She’s naturally independent and refuses multiple offers of marriage, determined to live life on her own terms.
However, when she suddenly receives a large inheritance offering her independence, she becomes entangled with two manipulative Americans living abroad: the sophisticated Madame Merle (played by Arterton) and the attractive yet scheming Gilbert Osmond (Sturgess).
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Bill Nighy, currently starring in the Prime Video series Ride or Die, will play Mr. Touchett, a character who supports Isabel in her journey to find independence. Rosamund Richardson will portray the delightfully unusual Mrs. Touchett, and Ben Chapman will play Edward Rosier.
Number 9 Films TV and Masterpiece are creating a new period drama, working alongside Fox Entertainment Global. The BBC will air the show in the UK, while viewers in the US and Canada can watch it on PBS through Prime Video.
Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen from Number 9 Films TV expressed their excitement about collaborating with Masterpiece and the BBC to bring this forward-thinking Henry James novel to life.
It’s surprising this insightful story by James hasn’t been adapted for TV in almost six decades, but we believe it will have been worth the long wait. The characters of Isabel and Gilbert are truly iconic.
Sue Deeks, who leads scripted acquisitions for the BBC, expressed her excitement about working on what she believes will be an incredible adaptation of Henry James’s classic novel, thanks to the talented people involved.
The BBC previously turned James’s novel into a six-episode series back in 1968. It was also adapted for film by Jane Campion in 1996, starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich.
The Portrait of a Lady has no release date yet.
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2026-07-20 17:52