# Cast confirmed for new PBS and BBC take on The Portrait of a Lady

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bill-nighy-gemma-arterton-nell-tiger-free-set-for-pbs-bbc-adaptation-of-henry-james-the-portrait-of-a-lady/
- Published: 2026-07-20T14:00:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-20T20:12:24+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/bill-nighy-gemma-arterton-nell-tiger-free-the-portrait-of-a-lady-1236816416/
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Europe, TV, World

## Key points

- Full cast confirmed for new "Portrait of a Lady" TV adaptation
- Nell Tiger Free leads; Arterton, Sturgess, Nighy also star
- Airs on PBS Masterpiece (US) and BBC One/iPlayer (UK); no date set

## Summary

A television adaptation of Henry James' "The Portrait of a Lady" has been confirmed with its full cast, and will air on PBS's Masterpiece strand in the US and Canada and on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK. Nell Tiger Free stars as Isabel Archer, an independent-minded young American who travels to Europe and, after inheriting an unexpected fortune, becomes the target of manipulation by two scheming expatriates. Producers noted it is the first television version of the novel in nearly 60 years.

Gemma Arterton plays Madame Merle and Jim Sturgess plays Gilbert Osmond, with Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson as Isabel's uncle and aunt; the wider cast includes Jack Wolfe, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Hugh Skinner and Dean-Charles Chapman, among others. The six-episode limited series, already filming across the UK, Hungary and Croatia, is directed by Aisling Walsh from a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and is produced by Number 9 Films TV and Masterpiece with Fox Entertainment Global handling worldwide distribution; no release date has yet been announced.

## Coverage

- [Variety: Cast confirmed for new PBS and BBC take on The Portrait of a Lady](https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/bill-nighy-gemma-arterton-nell-tiger-free-the-portrait-of-a-lady-1236816416/)
- [Deadline: ‘The Portrait Of A Lady’: PBS Masterpiece, BBC & Fox Adapting Henry James Novel With Ensemble Cast Featuring Nell Tiger Free, Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy, Jim Sturgess & Miranda Richardson](https://deadline.com/2026/07/pbs-bbc-adapting-portrait-of-a-lady-henry-james-bill-nighy-1236998240/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.