A new period drama is set to begin airing on Channel 5 soon which follows the rags-to-riches tale of a Yorkshire family in the 1890s.

The Hardacres is adapted from the novel series by CL Skelton and will be comprised of six episodes.

It will follow the Hardacre family as they establish themselves as herring merchants on the fishing docks to owning their own shop and then making some serious money.

The Radio Times adds: "But soon, with their newfound riches, they're catapulted into a high society that they have no experience of.

"From not knowing exactly what to do with their days, getting used to the fashions and hair of the time and having to schmooze the snobby locals, The Hardacres certainly looks like it's full of lots of drama."

Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan wrote the series, and they spoke to the Radio Times about changes made to the books.

McLaughlan said: "Our version is definitely inspired by the book as opposed to an adaptation, because one of the initial things that we changed immediately is that the book is very focused around Sam.

"And what we saw immediately is that we wanted to do a family ensemble show, so immediately you need to move it out and away from Sam. We wanted to make Sam and Mary a team. And we wanted to write about a successful marriage, because again, that’s not something that you see on TV very often, a couple working together.

"And then from that, it very naturally expanded out. There are two brothers, but they are very young in the books, so we needed to age them up a bit. We also needed to bring in more feminine energy, so that’s where the idea for [new characters] Ma and Liza came from. I think the family came to us very quickly actually."

Channel 5 The Hardacres full cast list

  • Claire Cooper as Mary Hardacre
  • Liam McMahon as Sam Hardacre
  • Adam Little as Joe Hardacre
  • Shannon Lavelle as Liza Hardacre
  • Zak Ford-Williams as Harry Hardacre
  • Julie Graham as Ma Hardacre
  • Holly Sturton as Adella Fitzherbert
  • Cathy Belton as Emma Fitzherbert
  • Owen Roe as George Fitzherbert
  • Ingrid Craigie as Mrs Dryden
  • Siobhan O'Kelly as Lena Temple
  • Sarah Agha as Betsy Temple
  • Taheen Modak as Callum Saunders

  • Mark Doherty as Beesley
  • Ella Maria Carmen as Maggie
  • Connor Byrne as Victor Ward
  • Conor Deane as Fred
  • Paul Ward as Albie
  • Paula Wolfenden as Mrs Henderson
  • David Pearse as Mr Shaw
  • Michele Moran as Lady Beaumont
  • Rosaleen Linehan as The Duchess
  • Chris McHallem as Dr Mason
  • Sarah Madigan as Mrs Greene
  • Graeme Coughlan as Mr Harker
  • Andrew Bradley as Mr Gibbons
  • Eddie Capli as Big Jonesy
  • Denis Grindel as Lord Hugo Bathurst

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When will The Hardacres be on TV?

The first episode of The Hardacres will air at 9pm on Channel 5 on Monday, October 7.

After that, the remaining five episodes will be available to watch in the same timeslot over the following weeks.

Episodes will also be available to watch on My5 after they have aired.