The Hardacres

Synopsis

Beginning in Yorkshire in the 1890s, the series follows the Hardacre family as they rise from poverty to wealth after acquiring a large estate. As they adapt to their new social status, they face family tensions, class divisions, and the expectations of Victorian society.

Cast

The Hardacre Family

Claire Cooper as Mary Hardacre, Sam's wife and mother of the Hardacre children

Liam McMahon as Sam Hardacre, The patriarch of the family and the owner of the fishing company Hardacre & Son

Adam Little as Joe Hardacre, the eldest son, who works alongside his father in the family business

Shannon Lavelle as Liza Hardacre, the daughter who struggles to adapt to her family's new place in high society

Zak Ford-Williams as Harry Hardacre, The youngest son, who dreams of gaining admission to the University of Oxford

Julie Graham as Ma Hardacre, The strong-willed grandmother who never forgets the family's humble roots

The Fitzherbert Family

Holly Sturton as Lady Adella Fitzherbert, daughter of the Fitzherbert family and Liza Hardacre's best friend.

Cathy Belton as Emma Fitzherbert, Marchioness of York, George's wife and an enemy of the Hardacre family. Lady Emma, who comes from old money and is a relative of the Danish royal family, balks at the idea of having former fish workers as neighbours

Owen Roe as George Fitzherbert, Marquess of York, Head of the Fitzherbert family and neighbour of the Hardacre family. He does not share his wife's disdain for their nouveau riche neighbours

Michele Dotrice as Lady Imelda Hansen (season 2), mother of Emma Fitzherbert and a strong opponent to the Hardacre family who seeks to covertly destroy their reputation as she believes they have "risen above their station"

Recurring

Ingrid Craigie as Mrs Dryden, the housekeeper of Hardacre Hall. Although they initially have an adversarial relationship, Mrs Dryden and Mary Hardacre come to respect each other as time goes on.

Mark Doherty as Mr Beesley, butler and main house manager of Hardacre Hall. Beesley is more supportive of his new employers than Mrs Dryden, whom he rebukes for talking ill of them

Taheen Modak as Callum "Cal" Saunders, the family banker, manager of Hardacre Herring, and friend of the Hardacres, who harbours romantic feelings for Liza though he lacks the courage to tell her

Sarah Agha as Betsy , who starts in season 1 as a fish cleaner, before becoming Joe's wife and mother of their son Samuel

Ella Maria Carmen as Maggie, A maid working at Hardacre Hall. In Season 2, Maggie learns how to read at Mary's school with the help of Lady Emma.

Jack Weise as Jack (season 1; guest season 2), A fisherman who works for Sam

Chris McHallem as Dr. Mason (season 1; guest season 2), the town doctor who treats Liza in season one after she overdoses on appetite suppressants, and treats Sam in season two when he is struck by Russian flu

Siobhan O'Kelly as Lena (season 1), fish cleaner and Betsy’s mother, and a close friend of Mary Hardacre.

Connor Byrne as Victor Ward (season 1), groundskeeper of Hardacre Hall and love interest of Ma Hardacre.

Conor Deane as Fred Holdsworth (season 1), Sam’s fisherman friend and business partner.

David Pearse as Mr. Shaw (season 1), the fish company boss where the Hardacres used to work before they became wealthy.

Guest

Rosaleen Linehan as the Duchess of Harrogate (season 1), the head of the Ladies' Charitable Circle, whose opinion determines whether the Hardacres are accepted by high society.

Episodes

Production

The six-part series adaptation is from Playground Entertainment and helmed by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan. Also writing episodes are Emma Reeves and Liz Lake, while Roberts and McLaughlan are executive producers. Rachel Carey is lead director. Kieron J. Walsh is also slated to direct Episodes 4–6. Alex Jones is producer and it is co-produced by Jackie Larkin.

Filming

Filming started in Dublin and County Wicklow in Ireland, in 2023. One of the main settings, Hardacre Hall, is actually Cabinteely House in Dublin, while other scenes were shot at places like Powerscourt Estate and Bray Harbour. Filming lasted for four months into February 2024. Filming for the second season officially began in September 2025

Casting

Announced as leading the cast are Claire Cooper and Liam McMahon as Mary and Sam Hardacre, with their children Joe, Liza and Harry, played by Adam Little, Shannon Lavelle and Zak Ford-Williams. Mary's mother is played by Julie Graham. In the second series, the show introduced Michele Dotrice as Lady Imelda Hansen, Niall McNamee as Edward Blackwood and Edward Mitchell as Arthur Lewis.

Authenticity

For the second season, Rachel Carey said that historical accuracy was very important during filming. She explained that she wanted the series to feel relevant to the present while still respecting the past, and that she did not want to treat history lightly.Because of this, some real elements of the time are included in the show, such as the effects of the Russian flu, news about the Oscar Wilde scandal, the presence of the National Vigilance Association, and the use of new inventions like the Ouija board and safety bicycles.

Broadcast

The series was first broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK on 7 October 2024.In the United States, and Canada, the series is available to stream on BritBox. In Australia, both seasons are available to stream on BritBox, while season one is available on ABC iView. In Spain it can be watched on Movistar Plus+.In March 22, it airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player

Reception

Carol Midgely in The Times described the series as "untaxing, escapist fare". Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph described it as "an old-fashioned taste of how TV used to be”.On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 58 out of 100 based on four critic reviews, suggesting “mixed or average” reception.