Bill Nighy, Nell Tiger Free and Gemma Arterton have been cast to lead a new television adaptation of Henry James's novel "The Portrait of a Lady", produced for Masterpiece on PBS and the BBC. The six-part limited series marks a fresh screen version of the classic story, joining a cast that also includes Jim Sturgess and Miranda Richardson, with filming already under way.

Free plays Isabel Archer, a spirited young American woman who travels to Europe seeking freedom after inheriting an unexpected fortune, only to be targeted by scheming expatriates Madame Merle (Arterton) and Gilbert Osmond (Sturgess). Nighy takes the role of Mr Touchett, who champions Isabel's independence, while Richardson plays her eccentric aunt, Mrs Touchett. The wider ensemble includes Jack Wolfe, Calypso Cragg, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Hugh Skinner, Hamish Frew, Thomas Coombes, Lydia Leonard and Dean-Charles Chapman, with production taking place across the UK, Hungary and Croatia.