‘House of the Dragon’ Star’s Most Overlooked Role Officially Finds a New Streaming Home
Actress Olivia Cooke, best known as Alicent Hyde on 'House of the Dragon', will see one of her earlier standout performances become newly available to US streaming audiences. The 2018 ITV miniseries adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel Vanity Fair is set to launch on BritBox on 19 August, giving American viewers fresh access to a well-reviewed period drama as they look for what to watch after 'House of the Dragon' Season 3.
In the seven-episode series, Cooke plays Becky Sharp, a penniless orphan navigating the rigid social hierarchy of Regency England after taking up a governess post in Hampshire. The cast also includes Tom Bateman, Michael Palin and Bridgerton's Claudia Jessie, and the show earned strong reviews on release, holding an 89% average rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with particular praise for Cooke's central performance. The news comes as 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 continues to draw huge audiences, averaging more than 33 million global viewers per episode.
- Olivia Cooke's 2018 Vanity Fair miniseries heads to BritBox on 19 August
- The ITV adaptation holds an 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating
- Comes as Cooke stars in the hit 'House of the Dragon' Season 3
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Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hyde in the fantasy series 'House of the Dragon', which recently began its third season and remains one of the most-watched shows in the world. Before that role, she starred in a different kind of production entirely: a 2018 British television adaptation of Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray's 19th-century novel about a young woman trying to rise through the strict class system of Regency-era England.
That earlier series, made by the UK broadcaster ITV, has largely been available only to British audiences until now. BritBox, a streaming service specialising in British television, is bringing it to American viewers for the first time, giving them a chance to see Cooke's work before her current, better-known role.
The novel Vanity Fair follows Becky Sharp, an orphan with no money who uses wit and ambition to try to improve her social standing, and it has been adapted for screen several times over the years. The 2018 version also features actors familiar from other popular shows, including Michael Palin and Claudia Jessie of 'Bridgerton'.