EXCLUSIVE: Susan Hampshire unrecognisable as she returns to legendary TV drama 58 years later

More than five decades since she first starred in The Forsyte Saga, Susan Hampshire rekindles with the iconic TV show through its Channel 5 reboot - but she's taking on a new role.

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The Forsytes boasts a star-studded cast, including Millie Gibson, Susan Hampshire, Francesca Annis and Tom Durant-Pritchard.

The Miss Scarlet actor plays Montague Dartie - The Forsytes’ perennial outsider and Soames’ brother-in-law. “He’s acutely aware of the fact that he’s not fully accepted,” says Tom Durant-Pritchard.

“He feels every laugh behind his back and he sees every raised eyebrow - it hurts him, but that’s what fuels him.” Tom adds, “He doesn’t have the infrastructure to make wealth for himself. He’s constantly relying on his father-in-law to give him handouts.”

For Tom, the role was a rare opportunity to dismantle outdated notions of masculinity. “He thinks he has to be a provider when, ironically, it’s his wife Winifred who puts in place all the deals,” Tom says.

“We’re seeing more of this now, this idea that men are an incredibly weak and volatile group of people who need to feel like they’re in charge even when they don’t have the skill set.”

But he was in awe of his co-stars, particularly Jack Davenport and Susan Hampshire - the latter having starred in the 1967 The Forsyte Saga decades after starring as Fleur Mont in the BBC’s 1967 adaptation.

She even won the first of her three lead actress Emmys for her role as Fleur in 1970. Now 88, she returns as the mysterious Lady Carteret. “Susan is remarkable,” Tom says, “She’s a real example of how to go into work every day, do your job professionally with humility.”

Shaking off his usual suave persona was also a learning curve for Tom. “I realised when I arrived that what I had to do was lose the idea of self-respect,” he says.

“Any idea of looking good or being cool, I had to throw all of that into the bin. I had to be willing to look like an absolute idiot. I had to flirt with one supporting actor while holding a glass of champagne. She looked so sickened by what I was doing.”

Luckily, the camaraderie off the set was instant. “It’s like going on an all inclusive holiday.” Tom jokes. “You’re just hanging out all the time. There was a lot of going out for dinners. I also played some golf with Stephen Moyer and Jack Davenport.”

Jack Davenport relished the challenge of stepping into The Forsytes, Channel 5’s grand revival of John Galsworthy’s epic novels. The 52-year-old actor wasn’t even born when the BBC’s original 1967 adaptation became a TV phenomenon, but he’s well aware of its cultural weight.

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“At the time, it was the biggest thing in the history of television,” Jack says. “It’s fairly well established that everyone likes watching shows about miserable rich people trying to kill each other.”

In 5’s lavish new version, Jack plays James Forsyte - a man driven by ambition, resentment and a deep sense of injustice. Forever in the shadow of his elder brother Jolyon Forsyte Sr., James is consumed by envy and frustration.

“James is filled with resentment and bitterness at the role life has conferred upon him,” Jack says, “He’s the second born son and he hates that. He feels that he’s better at the job than his brother and that his own son Soames is far more suited to taking the company than Jolyon Jr. is.”

Joining Jack as Jolyon Jr. is Danny Griffin (Drugstore June, Gilded Newport Mysteries) who opens the series standing nervously at the altar next to his new bride Frances, played by Tuppence Middleton.

The marriage cements the family’s elite status but, a decade later, Jolyon faces fresh challenges at the family firm. “Soames wants to run the company, not caring about the people but caring more about the clients’ money and reputation,” Danny says. “Jolyon’s views on how people should be respected and looked after clash a lot with Soames’ views.”

The drama intensifies for Jolyon Jr when his wife Frances and her daughter June meet beautiful dressmaker Louisa, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, with whom he shares a secret history.

Off-screen Danny and Eleanor also had chemistry. “Eleanor and I have become really good friends,” he says, “I’m very shy, especially during readthroughs.

But I sat next to Eleanor and immediately we were like, ‘we’re going to be best friends.’ We just take the p*** out of each other as much as we possibly can.”

James’ relationship with Soames, played by Home and Away star Joshua Orpin, is a constant tug-of-war. “Their relationship is wildly dysfunctional because James has ideas about what he wants him to do,” Jack says.

“Josh really understands that dynamic and how to mess with it. I’ve given some people some s****y looks during my career but I’ve never been on the receiving end of so many contemptuous glances. Josh is a wonderful actor who needs no guidance from me!”

The Forsytes also reunites Jack with pal Stephen Moyer, who plays his on-screen brother Jolyon Sr. The two first worked together more than 30 years ago in Ultraviolet.

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“I’ve known him for more than 30 years, we’ve been friends that whole time,“ Jack says, before referring to their tense on-screen relationship.

“We don’t trust each other,” he summarises, “When you have someone on the other side of the lens who you have an incredibly long history with, it’s enormously good fun.”

What Jack didn’t enjoy as much were the large-scale party scenes that define the Forsytes’ social world in London’s elite. “It’s slow, it can be demanding but our crew is wonderful,” he says, “We have three cameras running otherwise we’d still be shooting season one. But I knew what I was signing up for.”

Away from set, Jack lives in the U.S with wife Michelle Gomez and their teenage son, Harry - and he says the role made him think twice about his approach to parenthood.

“James is a pretty awful human being. But I have a son, I want the best for him,” he says, “I understand that if I try to control my own child, I’m going to be on a hiding to nothing. He’s going to make his own decisions and his own mistakes.”

For Danny, playing a husband and stepfather was new territory. But stepping into The Forsytes’ world came with its own pressure. “It’s daunting and scary,” he says.

“You want to do the character justice and do the best you can.” Luckily, writer and creator Debbie Horsfield, who previously adapted Poldark for the BBC, was there to help.

“When you’ve got someone like Debbie, I’d talk to her about Joe at the very beginning. I wanted to know about his past and what it had been like growing up in that household. It’s overdoing your homework as much as you possibly can.”

And when all else failed, he turned to family. “My grandparents explained to me what The Forsyte Saga was because I told them I had the role,” Danny remembers, “They were two of the first people to know. It was a show they grew up watching.”

Portraying Jolyon’s artistic streak was another adjustment for Danny. “My drawings are terrible,” he says, “But my girlfriend’s paintings are incredible.

The Forsytes premiere on Channel 5 on Monday, October 20th.

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