The Buccaneers creator explains changes to give novel a "modern" twist

Jakeways said: "The starting point is very similar. We've expanded it, of course, partly because Edith Wharton hadn't finished it and so hadn't had a chance to fill in the gaps and take them to the places that I think she would have wanted to take them to if she'd been able to.

"But also, because we wanted it to feel modern, we wanted to use the opportunity to tell some modern stories through these girls. Inevitably, some of the storylines we have made up, and we have used the book as a jumping off point and taken them into storylines that we wanted to explore that felt modern and universal to women, no matter when they were born."

Jakeways explained that one specific change she and the team made was to the character of Ushant, who in the series is called Theo and is played by Guy Remmers. He is one potential suitor for Kristine Frøseth's character Nan, who also finds herself drawn to Matthew Broome's Guy Thwarte.

She said: "I'd say he's the one character actually who we've made more sympathetic than he is in the book and we've made him more of a genuine option for Nan. Because we thought it would be interesting to be not quite clear who we were trying to say was the right man for Nan.

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"But the main thing we wanted to [show] was the female friendship of the book. That's the beating heart of it all and that's the main love story of the show, is these five girls and their support of each other, and their jealousies, and the fact that they are like any group of friends at any time. And that is all in the book.

"So I hope that readers of the book will feel it's faithful, and that Edith Wharton would have done too."

As well as Frøseth, Remmers and Matthew Broome, the series also stars Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag and Imogen Waterhouse, while Mad Men's Christina Hendricks plays Nan and her sister Jinny's mother.

The Buccaneers will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on Wednesday 8th November, followed by new episodes weekly. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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