A truly heartrending dynastic saga of poverty, passion and power

A Woman of Substance is a three-part 1984 television serial based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's 1979 novel of the same name. It stars Jenny Seagrove, Deborah Kerr, Barry Bostwick, and Liam Neeson. The life of Emma Harte, from kitchen maid at the beginning of the 20th-century, to respected businesswoman and grandmother in the 1980s. From humble beginnings, Emma Harte starts her business with a small shop, but over the next twenty years, she expands her stores and invests in the growing textile industry in Leeds.