Channel 5 has confirmed the release date for its new period drama The Hardacres – with the first episode set to air at 9pm on Monday 7th October.
The six-part drama is set in 1890s Yorkshire, and is based on a series of novels by CL Skelton, telling the rags-to-riches tale of the titular working-class family.
It sees Channel 5 continue to dip into the rural period drama genre following the huge success they’ve had with All Creatures Great and Small, and seems sure to be a hit with fans of that series.
Claire Cooper (The Continental) and Liam McMahon (Warrior Nun) lead the cast of the new show as married couple Mary and Sam Hardacre, while Julie Graham (Ridley, Time) stars as the former’s mother, known as Ma.
Meanwhile, the three Hardacre children, Joe, Liza and Harry, are played by Adam Little (Ackley Bridge), newcomer Shannon Lavelle and Zak Ford-Williams (Better) respectively.
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The series is described as a “family saga following the lives, loves and fortunes of the working-class Hardacres as they move from grimy fish dock to a vast country estate in 1890s Yorkshire”.
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Meanwhile, a synopsis for the first episode reads: “After an unfortunate accident befalls dock worker Sam Hardacre, he and his family lose their jobs at the docks and must race to find work or else end up on the streets.
“His wife Mary, daughter Liza and mother-in-law Ma venture to the gilded halls of country estate Thornton Hall in search of work.”
Some brief footage from the show was previously teased in Channel 5’s autumn preview, which also included snippets from several of the channel’s other big projects.
Producer Simon Cox preciously said of the series: “We fell in love with the world of The Hardacres from the first read of the scripts, and we’re delighted with the ensemble cast that Playground has assembled.
“We’re in no doubt international audiences will enjoy embarking on the journey with this talented family of actors.”
The Hardacres begins on Channel 5 on Monday 7th October at 9pm.
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