Nobel Prize-winner John Galsworthy’s collection of novels The Forsyte Saga is getting the prequel treatment. The Forsytes, a six-part series adapted by Poldark screenwriter Debbie Horsfield, reimagines the Victorian stockbroking family before the events of the classic books. Those familiar with Galsworthy’s world will know what fates await this cast of characters. What we get here, though, is a few villain origin stories with a generous dollop of romance, scandal, backstabbing and old-fashioned social-climbing in turn-of-the-20th-century London. Move over Bridgerton, there’s a new game in town.
What is The Forsytes about?
Money and the right marital match rule supreme in the Forsytes’ world. The family contends with rivalry, societal expectation, the future of the stockbroking dynasty and the dawning of the modern world. Affairs of the heart also come into play, jeopardising the best laid plans. Think ‘Succession with crumpets’.
We meet the family as bohemian heir apparent Jolyon (Danny Griffin) is about to wed a status-obsessed Frances (Tuppence Middleton), and scheming cousin Soames (Joshua Orpin) starts to pursue love interest Irene (Millie Gibson). Unlike the 2002 ITV series, The Forsytes Saga, starring Damian Lewis, which spans the 1870s up until the 1920s, The Forsytes is exclusively set in the 1890s.
Where was it filmed?
Look out for an array of period-specific spots in England’s West Country and in Cardiff. If you want to see how the show was brought to life, these are the filming locations you can visit.
Bowood House & Gardens, Wiltshire
Following in the footsteps of Poldark, Sanditon and Downton Abbey, The Forsytes filmed at Bowood House & Gardens in 2024. built as a royal hunting lodge in 1725, it became a site of scientific breakthrough when chemist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen on the grounds in 1774. Since then, the house has been a military hospital, a school for girls and an RAF base during both wars, and is the surprising home of Napoleon's death mask. In the show, Soames and Irene take a boat ride on its lake.
Central Bristol
Similarly to how Bath’s Royal Crescent stands in for London in Netflix’s Bridgerton, Bristol’s cobbled lanes and Victorian façades double as late 19th century Soho. The area stands in for working-class London, where market traders sell everything from vegetables to leather goods – though if you look closely, the outlines of a few modern buildings occasionally slip into view. We first see this side of the city when Frances takes her daughter June to the dressmaker’s to buy a dress for her 18th birthday. She’ll later wish she hadn’t.
Leigh Court, Somerset
This Grade II-listed Palladian mansion built from Bath stone was once home to MP, banker and Bristol’s first recorded millionaire Sir Philip John Miles. His wealth largely came from his father who was involved in the transatlantic slave trade. ‘We pledge to continue to preserve, maintain and improve the estate whilst acknowledging our shared history and educating ourselves and others about its past,’ reads the estate’s website. The show’s big racecourse scene was filmed on the 25-acre grounds. Keep your eyes peeled for its grand staircase too.
Glamorgan Building, Cardiff
Formerly the headquarters of Glamorgan County Council, the Beaux-Arts style building is now home to Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences and Geography and Planning. In the TV series, it acts as Forsytes & Company’s London HQ where the family stockbroking business is based. It’s here Jolyon and Soames often butt heads. In episode one, Soames undermines Jolyon in front of his father who already thinks he ‘doesn’t have the killer instinct’. It sets the scene for more corporate jousting to come.
Beaufort Polo Club, Gloucestershire
Irene, a struggling dancer, first meets Soames at the polo club. When she is forced to sell her furniture because of financial difficulty caused by the death of her father, her mother hatches a plan to elevate their status without ‘beggaring ourselves’. Soon after, the pair happen upon a match when the eligible, attractive and wealthy businessman is playing. You can guess the rest...
Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol
The Grade II-listed Anglican Chapel at Arnos Vale Cemetery was transformed into a boxing ring for the show. In promo shots for the upcoming season, a shirtless Jolyon is seen sparring in the ring, with the building's arched windows on full display. To get the right shots the church’s ceiling lights had to be removed, something that Ann Fiddler, CEO of the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, took in her stride. ‘As a charity, the income from filming provides a significant boost and helps keep the Cemetery accessible to the more than 500,000 visitors we welcome every year,’ she says.
St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol
One of the country's largest and grandest parish churches, the Grade I listed building is recognised for its large stained glass windows, decorative stone vaults, and its tall Gothic spire. Elizabeth I was even a fan, calling it the ‘fairest, godliest and most famous’ parish church in England. In The Forsytes, it’s where both Frances and Joylon and Irene and Soames get married.
Theatre Royal, Bath
For its opening night in 1805, an unknown actor took on the role of Richard III. Fast forward to May 2024, and the likes of Stephen Moyer (True Blood) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) appear in top hats and corsets for filming. The 900-seat auditorium is used to stage a big society event during the series.
Hotwells, Bristol
One of the UK’s most desired areas to live in 2025, according to The Sunday Times, Hotwells is used as a backdrop for many of The Forsytes’ exterior sequences. The area’s Georgian influence can be seen during the carriage ride to Jolyon’s wisteria-covered home following his wedding to Frances, and when the plot moves between rival homes. Vyvyan Terrace and Christchurch Road feature heavily.
Venice
The sinking city weaves its way into the plot line early on when Jolyon is seen sketching Venice’s Grand Canal in episode 1. This is where he once enjoyed a cross-class love affair with lady’s maid Louisa, who reappears in his life more than two decades later when his stepdaughter June unwittingly reunites them. Expect sun-soaked flashbacks of the young lovers checking into the Victorian equivalent of a cash-only motel.
Who stars in The Forsytes?
Stephen Moyer is the biggest name associated with the project. Best known for playing Bill Compton in True Blood, he plays patriarch Jolyon Forsyte Sr, a man torn between family loyalty and personal ambition. Francesca Annis, of Reckless and David Lynch’s Dune fame, plays matriarch Ann Forsyte. Danny Griffin, from Netflix’s Sky on Fate: The Winx Saga plays Joylon, with Downton Abbey’s Tuppence Middleton playing Frances. Eleanor Tomlinson, best known for her role in Poldark, is Louisa, with Joshua Orpin from Titans and Millie Gibson known for portraying Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who, playing Soames and Irene respectively.
When is it on TV?
The show will premiere in the UK on Channel 5 at 9pm, October 20. It is also set to air on PBS Masterpiece in 2026. An exact date is yet to be confirmed.
Is there a trailer for the series?
There is – watch it below.
