Vanity Fair: What is it about? When is it on? Everything you need to know as Olivia Cooke and Tom Bateman star in new ITV drama

Your new favourite period drama is here...
Natasha Sporn2 September 2018

After what seems like years without a period drama, ITV finally has something to fill that Sunday night void.

A historical classic by William Makepeace Thackery, Vanity Fair has been adapted for both the small and big screens in the past - with varying levels of success- and now ITV, joint with Amazon Studios, is bringing Becky Sharp to life once again.

The seven-part series boasts an all-star cast (including Olivia Cooke and Tom Bateman) and a £10million budget – and it’s coming to a screen near you tonight.

Ahead of Vanity Fair, here is everything you need to know…

ITV Vanity Fair - in pictures

1/9

What is Vanity Fair about?

The 1848 classic follows the lives of Becky Sharp – played by Ready Player One actress Cooke – and Amelia Sedley (Claudia Jessie) as they navigate life during and after the Napoleonic Wars.

While meek Amelia seems happy to take her life as it comes, especially loved up with George Osborne (Charlie Rowe), but Becky always wants to be one step ahead of the game, and climb up the ranks to ensure her social status. Obsessed by material and by making a name for herself despite her background, her relationship with Rawdon Crawley – played by Tom Bateman – conflicts with everything she thought she wanted, as she grapples with what she has to lose.

Society darlings: Olivia Cooke as Becky Sharp and Claudia Jessie as Emmy Sedley
ITV

Who stars in Vanity Fair?

Cooke, who made her name most recently in Steven Spielberg’s fantasy hit, is joined by Murder on the Orient Express actor Bateman.

Rawdon’s father, Pitt, is played by Doc Martin funnyman Martin Clunes while Suranne Jones is the scary Miss Pinkerton, the head of the school Cooke leaves in the first episode, and musician Johnny Flynn is Dobbin.

The show’s narrator? Well, there was only ever one man for the job. Michael Palin. But it must be noted that Vanity Fair was written as a puppet play, with the narrator thought to be unreliable….

When it is on?

Vanity Fair starts on Sunday 2 September at 9pm on ITV, continuing Monday at 9pm and then weekly Sunday thereafter.

Missed an episode? Fear not, you can catch up on ITV Hub shortly after air.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in