CHANNEL 4’s reboot of A Woman of Substance got off to a raunchy start with a romp in a ‘sex cave’.
The series – which is an adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s famous novel – was the network’s most watched drama when it first aired in 1985.
On Wednesday night, the rebooted version aired its first episode, with Jessica Reynolds playing lead character Emma Harte.
And if the first episode is anything to go by, the show can definitely give Rivals and Bridgerton a run for its money.
Emma works as a servant for the wealthy Fairley family but falls in love with younger son Edwin.
The pair share a number of tender moments before running off up onto the sun-soaked Yorkshire Moors together.
There, they head into a cave and Edwin presents her with a ring for each of them to wear and then declares his love.
They kiss before removing their clothes and as the sun sets behind them, they have sex on the ground in the cave.
Speaking about the scenes, showrunner Katherine Jakeways told The Guardian: “The lighting in there almost looks like AI, but it’s real.
“Weirdly, it’s about a mile from my mother-in-law’s house. I haven’t told her yet that it’s a sex cave!”
Indeed, the cast nicknamed the area the ‘sex cave’ and Jessica said: “The cave is the most stunning location, with sunlight coming through these arching rocks.
“I wonder if they used it in Wuthering Heights, too? If they didn’t, they should have.”
Published in 1979, A Woman of Substance went on to sell 30million copies.
And when it was first turned into a TV drama in 1985 it set the record for Channel 4’s most-watched show, with 14million viewers — which is still unbroken.
