Debbie Horsfield is an award-winning writer and producer of theatre and television who went from being a successful playwright to a BAFTA-nominated screenwriter. She made her mark in period drama with the beloved adaptation of Winston Graham’s Poldark, which ran for five seasons and starred Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson.
She’s now taking on The Forsytes, a reimagining of John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga. The sweeping Victorian family saga is set between 1877 and 1887 and explores love, marriage, and money in upper-middle-class London society. The adaptation gives voice to the women Galsworthy left enigmatic and underdeveloped, particularly Irene, who is described in the novels from a male perspective. So, don’t expect a straight adaptation in her brand-new PBS series.
The Forsyte Saga has been adapted brilliantly for television before (most notably, the 1967 and 2002 adaptations), but never quite like this—and we think that’s a good thing!
We spoke with Horsfield about reimagining the story from the women’s perspectives, the complex morality of characters like Soames, and how intergenerational trauma shapes the Forsyte family. Plus, find out why she believes period drama fans will resonate with The Forsytes!
Debbie Horsfield Interview: Inside The Forsytes
From Poldark to The Forsytes
THE SILVER PETTICOAT REVIEW: How did you become involved in adapting The Forsyte Saga, a beloved literary classic? What was your approach as a storyteller in exploring John Galsworthy’s world?
DEBBIE HORSFIELD: I was speaking with Damien Timmer at Mammoth Screen (we had made five series of Poldark together), and we were discussing classic novels we admired, and The Forsyte Saga was mentioned. We agreed that, although we didn’t want to do a straight adaptation – there have been several brilliant ones already – there were elements within the novels – characters, relationships, a particular period of history, etc – which fascinated us and which we thought we could explore further.
We discussed our ideas with Susanne Simpson at PBS and found she was very much on the same page. And so we began to develop The Forsytes, less as an adaptation, more as a “reimagining inspired by” the novels.
Immersing in the Victorian World
SPR: How did you immerse yourself in the Victorian period while writing The Forsytes, and how did that research help you balance the era’s passion and restraint?
HORSFIELD: Having a degree in English Literature helped! I was already familiar with the Victorian period, having studied its literature extensively, but I also immersed myself in the social, political, and creative history of the particular years we cover (1877-1887). I had also studied Art History at university, so it was a joy to dive back into the artistic moments of the era, especially French Impressionism, and its influence on the character of Jo, the sole artist in the Forsyte family.
Of course, we also had several historical advisors on the programme, who were passionate about their subject and endlessly patient when we kept pestering them with more questions. Conversations with our design, costume, and makeup designers also helped to inspire and offer options beyond what the source material provided.
Giving Voice to Galsworthy’s Women
SPR: Your adaptation reimagines The Forsyte Saga with a stronger focus on the female characters and their emotional depth. The women live in a society not built for their freedom; however, each female character fights back in inspiring ways while remaining true to the time period and the original novels. What was your thought process in making these changes, and what aspect of exploring their inner lives was most creatively fulfilling?
HORSFIELD: This was one of the elements of the source material which really fascinated us, not least because in the novels the female characters are, in general, drawn in less detail and with less emotional hinterland than the men. In particular, the character of Irene is described almost entirely from a male perspective, her beauty, her mysterious-ness, her unknowable-ness. We get almost no insight into her motivations, her inner life.
Then there is the character of Frances, Jo’s first wife, in the book, reduced to a name in a family tree. We felt this was a missed opportunity. Who was this woman who Jo rejected for a lover? What must his first wife have had to deal with? What was expected of a woman in her position? Did she have any power to shape her own destiny?
“Irene is described almost entirely from a male perspective, her beauty, her mysterious-ness, her unknowable-ness. We get almost no insight into her motivations, her inner life. Then there is the character of Frances, Jo’s first wife, in the book, reduced to a name in a family tree. We felt this was a missed opportunity.”
In an era where women, legally, had few rights (although the Married Women’s Property Act of 1882 did grant them rights to their own property as opposed to it belonging to their husbands), how would Frances have coped and maintained her position in society when she was an abandoned wife?
Equally, what choices would be there for June, a typical wealthy upper-middle-class girl who would have been expected to marry for position and security? What options were there for an unmarried mother, Louisa, making her own way in the world entirely through the skill of her own hands and an almost heroic resilience? These were all questions we wanted to dive deeper into.
Head vs. Heart
SPR: The series is filled with love stories set in a world of social obligation, rules, marriage, and money. What interests you most about the conflict between romantic feelings and family and societal expectations? Do you think that’s something viewers can still relate to today?
HORSFIELD: We always felt that one of the key themes of The Forsytes was the conflict between the head and the heart. A common trope in romantic drama is that “following the heart” is always the way to go! But we wanted to explore how true that was in the face of the reality of late Victorian society, societal and family expectations. Ultimately, we wanted to pose the question: Does following the heart always guarantee happiness? And does following the head always make for disappointment? Questions which seemed as relevant to today as to the end of the 19th century.
Intergenerational Trauma
SPR: The series has underlying themes of intergenerational trauma, unspoken secrets, and how consequences follow through the generations, affecting the characters. Was this sense of inherited trauma something you consciously included in the adaptation?
HORSFIELD: Absolutely! I’ve always been fascinated by intergenerational relationships and the way that each generation, often unintentionally, inflicts trauma on those that come after. And that even with the best intentions, families cannot help imposing their own beliefs/demands/prejudices, etc., on their offspring.
It seemed clear to me from the Forsyte novels that the family continues to inflict unintentional damage down the generations, and that the male Forsytes in particular are victims of intergenerational trauma. To my mind, this doesn’t make them “bad” people. It makes them damaged people. It gives them humanity. And it makes them very rewarding to write!
“To my mind, this doesn’t make them ‘bad’ people. It makes them damaged people. It gives them humanity. And it makes them very rewarding to write!”
Complex Characters and Coercive Control
SPR: Your characters, particularly Soames, James, and Frances, are neither purely sympathetic nor purely condemnable. What do you hope viewers will understand about these characters?
HORSFIELD: As detailed in the previous question, I think that all the characters are products of their familial and societal environment and, as such, are endlessly complex. I have never wanted to write a character who doesn’t have a degree of complexity, and Soames, James, and Frances have been particularly rewarding to write because of this.
Soames, in particular, is often viewed as a “villain”, but for me, although he does some despicable things and has some very unappealing traits, he is ultimately a character for whom I feel compassion because he is actually a victim of his own actions, attitudes, and social environment.
SPR: Was there a character or storyline that changed your own understanding of the story while writing it? Perhaps there was one that surprised you?
HORSFIELD: Again, this is probably Soames. I wanted to understand why any intelligent woman (which Irene undoubtedly is) would even entertain the idea of marriage to him. I wanted to explore the very complex issue of coercive control and how difficult it is to identify and to escape from. The issue of coercive control has only recently become recognised and named. It was very clear to me that this is what the Soames-Irene relationship actually is. So, I had to look at what made Soames appealing to Irene, what made her enter into a relationship with him, as well as what ultimately repelled her about him.
The Emotional Heart of The Forsytes
SPR: What do you feel is the emotional heart of The Forsytes, and what elements do you think will especially resonate with period drama fans?
HORSFIELD: Love. And Family. In all its complexity, beauty, ugliness, challenges, frustrations, and glories! I think there is a timelessness about the subject which audiences (and not just period drama fans) can relate to. Hopefully, they will enjoy the challenges that some of our characters face as they ultimately try to reconcile head and heart.
Oh, and the cast is amazing—and the costumes, locations, design, and attention to period detail are exquisite.
So hopefully there is lots to enjoy and lots that will resonate!
The Forsytes premieres Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 9/8c on PBS Masterpiece and will also be available on the PBS app and on PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel.
We want to thank Debbie Horsfield for taking the time to talk with us about The Forsytes and PBS Masterpiece for setting up this interview!
MORE ON THE FORSYTES
For more on The Forsytes, read our full review of season one here: The Forsytes Review: Is PBS’s Romantic New Period Drama Worth Watching?
And catch up on everything we know about the series here: The Forsytes on PBS: Everything We Know So Far About the New Masterpiece Series
EDITORIAL NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
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