“5” (formally known as “Channel 5”) has announced it will be the UK broadcaster for ‘The Forsytes‘, a new adaptation of ‘The Forsyte Saga’ from the creator of BBC’s ‘Poldark’, with a cast including Millie Gibson, Jack Davenport, Stephen Moyer, Tuppence Middleton and more.
Based on John Galsworthy’s Nobel Prize-winning tale of love, loyalty, ambition and betrayal, this new adaptation follows the lives of the wealthy Forsyte family in 1880s London. The drama chronicles the story of four generations of this upper-class family of stockbrokers, set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving late-Victorian world.
The star studded cast Millie Gibson (Doctor Who) as Irene, Joshua Orpin (Home and Away, Titans) as Soames, Francesca Annis (Dune, Showtrial, Cranford) as Anne, Jack Davenport (Coupling, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ten Percent) as James, Tom Durant Pritchard (This Is Going to Hurt) as Monty, Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey) as Frances, Stephen Moyer (True Blood) as Jolyon Senior, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) as Louisa, Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga) as Jo, Susan Hampshire (The Forsyte Saga, Monarch of the Glen) as Lady Carteret, Jamie Flatters (Avatar: The Way of Water, The School for Good and Evil) as Philip Bosinney, Fiona Button (The Split) as Mrs. Clarissa Heron, Tristan Sturrock (Poldark) as Professor Heron, Justine Moore (Without Sin) as June Forsyte, Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga) as Jolyon Forsyte, Eleanor Jackson (The Royal Mob) as Winifred Forsyte, Naomi Frederick (Belgravia, The Trial of Christine Keeler) as Emily Forsyte, Sharon Rose (Silent Witness) as Alicia Cole, and Owen Igiehon (Disclaimer) as Isaac.
The drama is written by Debbie Horsfield, who previously adapted the massively successful ‘Poldark’ for the BBC, along with the dramas ‘Sex, Chips & Rock n’ Roll’, ‘The Riff Raff Element’, and ‘Cutting It’. It is made by ITV Studios-backed Mammoth Screen, and was originally greenlit by US network PBS Masterpiece, with 5 only now coming on board as the UK broadcaster.
The is the third TV adaptation of John Galsworthy’s ‘The Forsyte Saga’. The first was back in 1967 for the BBC, and the second was for ITV in 2002. The acclaimed novel has also been adapted for film, radio and stage. This is planned as an ongoing series, not just a one-off limited run.
Yesterday, Channel 5’s parent company, Paramount, revealed a relaunch combining Channel 5 and My5 under the name “5”, uniting the broadcaster’s linear and streaming platforms under one brand. 5 will feature a significantly expanded content offering drawn from Paramount’s family of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central and MTV Entertainment Studios, plus the opportunity to sample some of the biggest hits from Paramount+ and more – both live and on-demand and all free of charge. Viewers will also have access to a wide range of boxsets, such as ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Dexter’ and ‘The Following’. You can check out what they have to offer here.
‘The Forsytes‘ Season 1 does not yet have a premiere date on 5 or on Masterpiece in the USA, but will air later in 2025 on both sides of the Atlantic. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
