The Fortune boasts a cast packed with soap stars, fantasy franchise favourites and acclaimed drama actors. In this four-part thriller, the story focuses on Amanda Blakefield, whose ordinary life is thrown into chaos when she discovers she has inherited a huge fortune and sprawling estate from a wealthy stranger called Martin Worrall – a man she’s never met.
As Amanda attempts to uncover why she has been named in Martin’s will, she’s forced to confront painful questions surrounding her own family history, including the unexplained disappearance of her father and her mother Linda’s fading memories due to dementia. But things soon spiral further when Martin’s relatives begin trying to pressure her into rejecting the inheritance entirely.
At the centre of the story is Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays Amanda. Eleanor is best known for starring as Demelza in Poldark and has also appeared in projects including Jack the Giant Slayer and The Outlaws. Amanda begins the drama running a cafe alongside her best friend Sandy and husband Jimmy before her life is turned upside down by the mysterious inheritance.
Channel 5
Channel 5
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“Amanda works in a café which she runs with her best mate, Sandy, and her partner Jimmy,” Eleanor said (via New). “They live a hectic life but their normality is what I liked about them. Then she gets a visit from a lawyer who claims to be the executor of a will that has named her as the beneficiary. It’s a bizarre moment.”
Sandy is portrayed by Danielle Walters, who soap fans may recognise from her appearances in EastEnders as DC Barton. But Danielle has also featured in Top Boy and Gavin and Stacey. Meanwhile, Amanda’s husband Jimmy is portrayed by Matthew Lewis, who rose to international fame portraying Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise. More recently, however, he’s appeared in Murder Before Evensong on 5.
Another familiar soap face joins the cast in the form of Nina Wadia, who portrays Laura Mistry, the solicitor handling the mysterious inheritance. Nina remains widely known for playing Zainab Masood in EastEnders, while comedy fans will also remember her work in Goodness Gracious Me.
Channel 5
Channel 5
Amanda’s mother Linda is played by Paula Wilcox. Linda resides in a care home and struggles with dementia, making Amanda’s search for answers increasingly painful as she attempts to piece together fragmented memories from the past. Paula is well known for portraying Elaine Jones in Coronation Street as well as starring in classic sitcoms like Man About the House.
“Paula is such a great actress. I loved watching her. She’s captivating,” Eleanor said. “We worked very closely making sure that everything we were saying to each other would be very beautiful and very painful at the same time.”
For Matthew Lewis, another major draw of the project was reuniting with Callum Woodhouse, who appears in the thriller as Martin’s son, after previously working with Matthew on All Creatures Great and Small.
Channel 5
Channel 5
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“We used to go watch football together,” Matthew shared. “When the offer came in, Callum was the first person I called to ask if he had spoken to the director (Andy De Emmony) and what did he think. He was very positive. It’s a shame we only get the one scene, but it was great fun. It’s Callum’s first TV villain so he was really leaning into it and enjoying it.”
Matthew admitted that another legendary actor convinced him to sign on for the drama – Denis Lawson, famous for portraying Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy. “I saw the people involved like Eleanor Tomlinson, and Callum Woodhouse who I’ve worked with before on All Creatures Great and Small. Even Denis Lawson,” Matthew said. “I was a huge Star Wars fan in my youth. That was a nice little treat.”
Denis Lawson plays Martin Worrall, the wealthy man whose death sparks the entire mystery, while other cast members include James Younger as Amanda and Jimmy’s son, as well as Stephen Tompkinson as Boots, the man hired by the Worralls to track Amanda down and prevent her from accepting the inheritance. But soon, it becomes clear that there’s more than money at stake.
The Fortune airs this Tuesday, 2 June at 9pm on Channel 5.
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