Fortune

Eleanor Tomlinson, Matthew Lewis and Callum Woodhouse star in Channel 5 series The Fortune

Viewers of The Fortune were left disappointed as the new psychological drama made its debut on Channel 5.

The series centres on waitress Amanda Blakefield, portrayed by Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson, whose world is thrown into chaos when a solicitor arrives at her workplace to inform her she stands to inherit a vast estate from a complete stranger.

She continues to dodge the solicitor yet pays a visit to the deceased man’s widow Fiona (Rebecca Front) and son Anthony, played by All Creatures Great and Small’s Callum Woodhouse, who are outraged and make abundantly clear their intention to contest it.

Meanwhile, Amanda’s husband Jimmy (Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis) appears to be embroiled in a mystery of his own, repeatedly receiving suspicious phone calls.

As the opening episode aired on Tuesday night (June 2), numerous viewers took to X to voice their scepticism, with some calling the storyline into question, reports Wales Online.

“Wouldn’t they phone her and ask her into their office instead of just barging into her workplace?” wondered one viewer.

Another posted on the platform, formerly known as Twitter: “How to sort out an unexpected inheritance: (a) consult a solicitor, and get it sorted out; or: (b) throw away the solicitor’s letter and barge in uninvited to a grieving family.”

One viewer branded the show “a dud” while another confessed: “Oh I really want to like this but so far I’m struggling.”

“This is absolute s***e,” insisted another viewer, as one posted: “Mrs Poldark the only thing saving this so far…”

“Channel 5 either do b****y brilliant dramas or shockingly bad am/dram… #thefortune is tipping ever so slowly to the latter… ludicrous,” remarked another viewer, while one complained about the “exaggerated sighs” and “pauses”.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph awarded it merely one star out of five in its review, branding it “rubbish”.

Yet others felt the series – shot on location across Hartlepool, Northumberland, Newcastle and north Yorkshire last year – showed potential.

“So far looking good,” observed one viewer. Another highlighted the impressive ensemble, which also features Denis Lawson, Stephen Tompkinson, Paula Wilcox, Danielle Walters and Nina Wadia.

“It’s got a really good cast too,” they wrote. “Well known faves.”

The Fortune is airing on Channel 5.

The Fortune sees a woman mysteriously inherit £2 million and a country estate from a stranger.

The Fortune has landed on Channel 5, with audiences eager to discover everything about the drama.

Following the unexpected inheritance of a substantial fortune from a stranger, mother and wife Amanda (portrayed by Eleanor Tomlinson) finds herself in conflict with the deceased man’s relatives.

She simultaneously starts uncovering the truth regarding her own family’s sinister history, which may shed light on why she’s been selected as the beneficiary of the enigmatic man’s estate.

Where was The Fortune on Channel 5 filmed?

Filming for Channel 5’s The Fortune occurred during autumn 2025 across Hartlepool, Northumberland, Newcastle and North Yorkshire.

The bulk of shooting took place in Hartlepool, with the historic Headland district serving as a crucial location.

Another significant filming venue was Hartlepool Marina, where the exterior alongside local establishments and eateries were utilised to depict Amanda’s everyday existence.

The programme’s principal production headquarters was also situated in Hartlepool at The Northern Studios on Lynn Street.

Certain scenes were additionally captured in Newcastle, with the drama produced by Newcastle-based Lonesome Pine Productions.

The cast and crew travelled to Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, where the mid-Victorian country residence Cleveland Lodge served as the Worrall family estate in the Channel 5 series.

The Grade II listed building was constructed between 1848 and 1851 and sits within approximately 35 acres of private parkland, featuring paddocks and a tennis court. Meanwhile, the more rural and coastal scenes were shot in and around the Northumberland region.

All Creatures Great and Small star Callum Woodhouse, who plays vengeful son Anthony Worrall in the series, hails originally from Stockton in the North East.

The Hartlepool Mail reported Woodhouse describing the experience of filming The Fortune as something of “a homecoming”.

He said: “Obviously, staying with my parents and filming in places I grew up visiting was a huge draw, but also being able to do something set in the modern day was really exciting.

“We were filming just over the road from where my mum works, so we’d meet up for lunch sometimes.”

The Fortune is available to watch on Channel 5.

AFTER becoming the first Love Island star to make Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, savvy Molly-Mae Hague has a nifty plan to ‘Fury-proof’ her finances.

With a staggering £22million in the bank and a second baby with boxer fiancé Tommy on the way, there are whispers that a watertight pre-nup featuring a “loyalty clause” is in the works.

Molly, 26, took the shamed boxer back a year ago after cheating allegations against him led to their shock split in 2024.

And while her £600,000 engagement ring is back on and she is pregnant with a sibling for three-year-old Bambi, there is no sign of a wedding on the horizon.

Now sources close to the business-minded beauty say she is determined to make sure Tommy, 26, is 100 per cent dedicated to her before tying the knot.

An insider explained: “Molly has more than proved she knows a thing or two about making money and she knows full well what marriage could mean for her wealth.

“There’s been talk that she would want him to sign a contract before they commit any further, which would have a cheating clause and allow her the access to her money she feels she might need to move on.”

Molly was already a popular influencer when she appeared on Love Island in 2019 and met Tommy but her rise to super stardom and extreme wealth after the show is unprecedented.

‘Old home is back up’

She did not just land a fast fashion deal like other Islanders. She became Pretty Little Thing’s creative director, earning a reported £400,000 per month.

She also secured deals with huge companies such as L’Oreal and Fairy.

And recently she is said to have been paid more than £2million to collaborate with Adidas.

Molly would not be the first woman to demand a cheating clause.

Catherine Zeta Jones is said to have included a similar one in the pre-nup prior to her 2000 wedding to fellow actor Michael Douglas.

It was reported that if he ever cheated he would have to pay ­Catherine £1million for every year they were married.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel also allegedly have a clause in their prenup that would entitle Jess to £400,000 if he cheated.

It was late in the summer of 2024 that Molly dumped Tommy, telling her followers: “Never in a million years did I think I’d ever have to write this.

“After five years of being together I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.”

The couple had been planning to move into a £5million mansion but after Tommy was accused of kissing a blonde beauty on a lads’ holiday to Macedonia, Molly stayed put in her £4million Cheshire home and booted Tommy out.

There’s been talk that she would want him to sign a contract before they commit any further, which would have a cheating clause

Insider

But the couple were seen sharing a kiss at a New Year’s Eve party and officially reunited in May 2025.

And while they now live in their new family home, we can reveal Molly has kept hold of her first mansion, which is solely in her use.

Our insider said: “Molly has been very reluctant to sell the Cheshire home and knows it’s probably wise to keep hold of it as a back up.”

At the start of the year fans were shocked when Molly quietly announced she was expecting another baby with Tommy, and was already six months pregnant.

Pals say the star opted to have another child with Tommy because she was keen that her children all have the same father.

Another source adds: “Molly is very traditional in lots of ways and Tommy is, of course, also very old school, so they wanted to have more children together.”

A blended family was not an option for Molly, the source said.

Molly’s dream

“She wants her kids to have ­consistency like she had growing up. It’s one of the main reasons she got back with him.”

Casting doubt over their relationship, Tommy’s dad John Fury said in the family’s Netflix show, At Home With The Furys: “Molly is a lovely person, but she can’t help the life she’s been brought up in, it’s contrasting to ours.

“But she’s put up with some s*** hasn’t she, so fair play to her – she’s not a bad girl.

“I’m also going to be there to support them. Let’s see what happens.”

Tommy’s half brother and former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson has also been critical of Molly’s career.

She wants her kids to have consistency like she had growing up. It’s one of the main reasons she got back with him.

Source

In the new series of his show he appears mocking of influencers, warning his daughter Venezuela: “If you are an influencer your private life is non-existent. Look at Tommy and Molly. If you want to make money out of doing nothing, ­basically privacy doesn’t exist.

“I’ve done a million-thousand achievements. I can write a table full of them. We’re just in an era where you can get famous for what? Getting our tits out on telly.”

But Molly, a dropout from the London College of Fashion, has come a long way since Love Island.

Forbes might have put Tyson at No3 in its ranking of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with his earnings being estimated at £120 million, but Molly is hot on his heels (wearing her sold-out Adidas shoe collection).