When we talk about the golden age of TV, we’re probably conjuring up a list that includes The Sopranos, Mad Men or Game Of Thrones. But back in 1967, no one had even heard of Don Draper or Westeros. Instead, there was a TV drama so popular that pubs closed early and even church services were rescheduled to avoid clashing with its broadcast.

Originally airing on BBC Two – then a niche channel only a few homes could get – The Forsyte Saga became a full-blown cultural event when it moved to BBC One. It peaked at 18 million viewers, as towns and cities shut down while families gathered for their weekly fix of the Forsytes’ loves, betrayals and scandals.

Now, more than half a century later, reimagined by Poldark’s Debbie Horsfield with an all-star cast led by Francesca Annis, Jack Davenport and Millie Gibson, the saga has been reborn on 5 as simply The Forsytes.

Having already wowed audiences and critics with its updated story of love, loyalty and scandal, The Forsytes is pulling in a whole new generation (and probably a few fans of the original) to get caught up in the business of this Victorian stockbroking family.

If you’re not already watching it on 5, here are seven reasons why you should catch up on the must-watch drama of the season.

Writer and executive producer Debbie Horsfield, who previously updated Poldark for a modern generation (and birthed Aidan-Turner-in-a-field-with-a-scythe-core), describes this adaptation as both “a love letter to John Galsworthy’s novels” and a total reawakening of their emotional heart.

“I read Galsworthy’s novels at university,” Horsfield says. “The themes are so rich – intergenerational rivalry, loyalty, secrets and scandals, and how events in one generation impact and sometimes wound [the next]. The books are amazing, but they’re written from a male perspective. I thought it was an opportunity to explore the hinterland of the female characters and redress the balance.”

It means what could have been some museum-piece adaptation is instead alive with modern resonance. “I was fascinated by the role of women who didn’t conform to expectations,” Horsfield continues. “Frances, the wife of Jolyon, isn't mentioned except in retrospect in the novels. Similarly, Irene is so mysterious and shadowy in the novels. I knew there was much more to explore and widen the parameters of this story.”

Rather than treating it as a relic of TV’s past, Horsfield is taking a bold approach to telling the story. And boldness certainly served the OG series well, establishing it as the Beeb’s first true global phenomenon with a mix of wealth, desire, duty and defiance that feels as intoxicating today as it did in the 1960s.

“Overwhelmingly stacked” is how you’d label the cast of The Forsytes, as it brings together some of Britain’s finest screen talent, like the show’s producers were building their own period drama fantasy football team.

The ensemble includes Francesca Annis as formidable matriarch Ann, Stephen Moyer and Jack Davenport as the warring elder brothers, Tuppence Middleton as Frances, Millie Gibson as Irene and Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa.

Annis says she was “immediately drawn” to the way Horsfield had written her character. “Ann narrates the beginning and end of the episodes,” she says. “She’s telling the story from the present… It’s full of family drama like love, death, secrets and marriages, all of which offer intrigue and great storytelling.”

For Davenport, who plays the resentful and razor-sharp James Forsyte, it’s the chance to dive into a character “filled with bitterness and Machiavellian ambition”. He adds: “This is a society defined by what it doesn’t say. Everything’s a secret because no one communicates how they really feel.”

Moyer brings weight and warmth to Jolyon Snr, while Middleton and Gibson embody the women pushing against a world built by men. As Gibson’s Irene Forsyte, a free-spirited dancer, enters the group chat, the result is combustible in a world where love is dangerous, and desire defies the rules.

The series follows the rival cousins, Jolyon (Danny Griffin) and Soames (Joshua Orpin), as they fall for women who threaten the family’s hard-won respectability, leading to the show’s big question: do you follow your head or your heart?

“The Forsyte family came from quite humble beginnings,” says Horsfield. “Their wealth wasn’t initially inherited but created, so there would have been a slight stigma attached. It is all about influence – how much influence you can buy, and how much status you can gain. The idea of marrying for love was less common.

“That is one of the themes that we explore, that conflict between doing your duty and following your heart, and whether following your heart necessarily guarantees happiness.”

It’s a conflict embodied in every generation – from Soames’s obsession with Irene, to Jolyon’s struggle to break free from the family business. Jamie Flatters, who plays idealistic architect Philip Bosinney, describes his character as “a revolutionary, a free thinker” who wants to usher in “that next generation”.

In other words: love, rebellion and scandal – the holy trinity of cracking British drama.

When you see the name of some actors in a show, you make plans to watch it. When you see the name “Francesca Annis”, you bang on the door of the producers and tell them to hurry up and film the second series before the first has even aired.

As Ann Forsyte, Annis is the iron spine of the family, sharp-tongued and clear-eyed about the world’s hypocrisies. “She’s very wise,” Annis says. “She came from quite a humble background, married into the Forsytes when they were near liquidation and saved their fortunes. She knows how to cut to the chase if there’s a problem.”

Annis adds that the 19th-century backdrop only makes Ann’s power more fascinating: “She isn't a woman who's been shielded from life. She knows there needs to be change, and with the turn of the century approaching, change was coming in all sorts of ways. Ann knows you have to listen to the younger generation.”

It’s a role that feels tailor-made for one of Britain’s great screen icons.

Visually, The Forsytes is a feast. Production designer Dafydd Shurmer’s sets brim with intricate detail, right down to the handwritten letters barely glimpsed on screen. “The design has to become a character in its own right,” Horsfield says.

And those costumes? As Davenport points out, “The way these people present is intended to intimidate and dominate… Conversely, the confinement of the women’s costumes is also very controlling… The extraordinary detail and lavishness of the women’s costuming I am constantly delighted by, because they come out looking like these magnificent galleons.” Quite the image.

Tom Durant-Pritchard – playing the flamboyant Monty Dartie – relished it. “Monty considers himself to be the best-dressed man in all of London. Monty needs to stand out because of how inept he is at every other aspect of his life.”

The result is pure visual decadence: a world of velvet, mahogany and forbidden glances. Every frame glows with wealth and ambition. But look closer, and you’ll see the cracks beneath the polish.

For all its top hats and tea sets, like the best period drama, The Forsytes is a mirror to our own world in 2025. “The division of wealth and inequality is as relevant now as it was then, with hugely wealthy families controlling the higher echelons of society,” says Durant-Pritchard.

Horsfield agrees. “We’re in the run-up to women’s suffrage,” she explains. “Characters like June and Irene are beginning to chafe against the restrictions that women historically endured. We worked closely with historical advisors who could advise on what the norms were, what the traditions were, but with the caveat that there are always people who would buck the trend and kick against those rules and traditions.

“There are always rules, there are always traditions, there are always expectations - but if everybody conformed, there would be no drama!”

That tension between tradition and progress makes The Forsytes as timely as it is timeless.

We are so used to impeccable drama on our screens that we all get a little bit paralysed when it comes to choosing our next big binge. In 2025, we probably spend as much time scrolling through the options as we do actually watching the shows.

Those “no-brainers” don’t exist in the same way as they did when The Forsyte Saga first aired. But when it comes to The Forsytes, the cast, writing and design all combine into that rare, golden mix that feels almost of a bygone age, yet reflective of our modern sensibilities. Namely, prestige TV that’s beautifully made and dangerously bingeable.

“It's full of family drama like love, death, secrets and marriages, all of which offer intrigue and great storytelling,” says Annis. “And just the notion of holding a family together and a business together – well, we've all been there, haven't we?”

So, cancel your plans, pour a glass of something from the top shelf and join a delighted audience already spellbound. Because if history has taught us anything, when The Forsytes are on, the nation stops to watch.

The first episode of The Forsytes series 1 aired on 5 on Monday 20 October, with the six-part series concluding on Monday 24 November at 9pm. If you’ve missed any episodes or want to start the series from the beginning, you can stream series 1 on Virgin Media TV in Apps > 5.

If you don’t currently have a package where you can access the 5 app to catch up on The Forsytes, you can upgrade your package at any time by signing in to your My Virgin Media account. When you’ve confirmed your order, you’ll receive a confirmation email with more details on what to expect next.

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