What Do We Know About The BBC’s The Portrait Of A Lady Adaptation?

Thirty years on from Jane Campion’s adaptation starring Nicole Kidman, The Portrait of a Lady is being newly adapted, this time into a television series. Set to be one of the buzziest UK/US collaborations in years, the makers of this take on British-American author Henry James’ most beloved work are aiming to bring renewed interest in the historical drama across the pond.

The series will be released as a six-part TV drama, originally helmed by PBS Masterpiece and Fox, however the BBC has just signed on to the co-production, meaning Brits will be able to tune in, too. The adaptation is set to follow the book’s romantic drama set between the New and Old World. Directed by Aisling Walsh and adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the series is executive produced by Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen. Read on for everything else we know.

The Portrait Of A Lady: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

The Portrait of a Lady was last adapted in 1996, into a two-time Oscar-nominated film, and as a BBC TV series in 1968. PBS, Fox and the BBC’s new version is a long time coming, then. And while The Portrait of a Lady is James’s best-loved novel, it’s far from his most adapted. For that, we can look to ghost story The Turn of the Screw (1898), which has been thought to have been adapted for the stage, cinema and TV at least 28 times. Most recently, Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor brought the chilling tale back to the small screen.

In a joint statement to the BBC, producers Woolley and Karlsen said: ‘We are so pleased to be finally making this Henry James classic, which was far ahead of its time, with our friends at Masterpiece and the BBC. It’s wonderful to be reunited with Rebecca Lenkiewicz who we worked closely with on Colette and The Salt Path and to work with Aisling Walsh, whom we’ve admired from afar for many years.

‘We find it astonishing that James’ prescient story has not been made for television for nearly 60 years, but like all great things, it will definitely be worth the wait,’ Woolley and Karlsen added.

What Will Happen?

The Portrait of a Lady centres on vivacious New World ingénue Isabel Archer (Nell Tiger Free), who sets sail from the US to Europe in search of adventure and to experience all that life has to offer. Charming, clever and innately curious, she turns down the pursuits of multiple men intent on her hand in marriage, and instead finds herself graced with a surprise fortune that could offer her a life of freedom.

While two American ex-pats, Madame Merle (Gemma Arterton) and Gilbert Osmond (Jim Sturgess) scheme to swindle Isabel’s money, Mr. Touchett (Bill Nighy) hopes to help Isabel on her quest for freedom. Spurred on by her eccentric aunt, Mrs. Touchett (Miranda Richardson), Isabel struggles with maintaining control over her own life while building a new future in Old World Europe.

The Cast

The star-studded ensemble is led by Tiger Free, best known for her roles in Game of Thrones, The First Omen and Servant. The full cast we know of so far is as follows:

• Nell Tiger Free as Isabel Archer
• Gemma Arterton as Madame Merle
• Jim Sturgess as Gilbert Osmond
• Bill Nighy as Mr. Touchett
• Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Touchett
• Jack Wolfe as Ralph Touchett
• Calypso Cragg as Pansy Osmond
• Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Henrietta Stackpole
• Hugh Skinner as Lord Warburton
• Hamish Frew as Casper Goodwood
• Thomas Coombes as Mr Bantling
• Lydia Leonard as Countess Gemini
• Dean-Charles Chapman as Edward Rosier

Release Date

Filming on The Portrait of a Lady is officially underway, taking place across Hungary, Croatia, and the UK. As such, there’s no release date just yet, but we do know the show will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer here in the UK. Fingers crossed for a 2027 release date.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of time to read the 600+ page novel.