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Brenda Blethyn's latest TV role in A Woman of Substance has finally landed on screens, but not everyone was pleased with the adaptation. The Channel 4 series is an on-screen retelling of Barbara Taylor Bradford's classic bestseller, with the beloved Vera actress starring as the older version of Emma Harte. While the actress portrays the character as a business mogul, the series kicked off with Emma's backstory as a young maid (played by Jessica Reynolds).

Although the rags-to-riches novel remains one of the top 10 bestselling books of all time, with over 91 million copies sold, fans quickly took to social media with complaints. Taking to X/Twitter, one viewer switched off, writing: "#awomanofsubstance I think I might just read the book again instead." As another noticed a major change and fumed: "Mac? MAC?!! His name isn't Mac. It's Blackie! Because of his black hair. Good grief!"

A third echoed: "Shane O'Neill (originally played by Liam Neeson) is now mysteriously nicknamed 'Mac', not Blackie. Weird and unnecessary."

While another viewer questioned: "Where is her brother Winston? Paul isn't listed in the cast either. I hope they haven't changed too much. Might have to watch the Jenny Seagrove version instead."

As a fifth repeated: "I have read all the books in the Harte series and watched the original TV mini series, so I will give this one a chance, but where is Winston?"

Despite the criticism, A Woman of Substance also gained fans, as one took to social media and praised the premiere as a "Good first episode."

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The series will follow Emma's life as an impoverished servant and her pursuit of greater ambitions, before circumstances compel her to pursue them following a series of devastating events.

The period drama will then jump to the 1970s, where Emma is a staunch mogul in charge of her own international business empire.

This isn't the first time Bradford's work has hit the screen; the first adaptation of A Woman of Substance aired on Channel 4 in 1985, featuring Jenny Seagrove, but only ran for three episodes.

Unlike the original series, the latest boasts eight instalments that will travel through time to unfold Emma's story.