How To Watch The Forsytes Online
Watch The Forsytes: Preview
All is fair in love and phwoar! Yes, Debbie Horsfield’s adaptation of John Galsworthy’s beloved The Forsyte Saga novels, which chronicles the lives, loves, and betrayals of the wealthy Forsyte family in Victoria-era England, is a thirst trap in impeccable period drama garments: bursting at the seams with intergenerational family drama and illicit liaisons. It’s already wooed critics and the Bridgerton set. Now you can catch episodes FREE from anywhere with our guide below explaining how to watch The Forsytes online on 5, with new installments every week.
The BAFTA-winning Horsfield, who set hearts aflutter with her reimagining of Poldark in 2015, helms this sumptuous third adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. Set before the events of his first book, it concerns the Forsyte family as they wrestle with generational divides and rivalries, with their elders’ insistence on social advancement undercutting their deepest desires. Ambition and class conflict shape the drama. When Jolyon Snr. (Stephen Moyer, True Blood) steps down as head of the family stockbroking company, a tense rivalry begins between cousins Jolyon Jnr. (Danny Griffin) and Soames (Joshua Orpin) as they scheme to succeed him. Meanwhile, love triangles and romantic partners deemed unsuitable (a dressmaker, a ballet dancer) threaten to derail their staid, respectable lives.
It’s TV heaven for fans of period dramas like The Gilded Age and Bridgerton: stunningly realized, with incredible costumes and eye-popping set design. It also features an extraordinarily good-looking cast caught in an Instagram-like glow, whose characters become the focus of lots of swoon-worthy moments. Whether it’s Jolyon boxing shirtless, or a swole Soames on horseback straining his polo shirt to breaking point as Irene (Millie Gibson) and her stepmother gawp greedily – the heat of passion is never far from the surface.
The Forsytes is proving a much-needed placeholder in our TV schedules until Bridgerton returns this coming January. The visually striking, star-studded series has been a hit with critics (garnering four and five star reviews in HELLO! and the Daily Mail respectively) and, personally, we can’t wait for more Forsyte family intrigues.
The following guide provides everything you’ll need to know to watch The Forsytes online now, and enjoy episodes for FREE live or on-demand no matter where you’re located.
How to watch The Forsytes free in the UK on Channel 5
The Forsytes debuted on Channel 5 on October 20, with new hour-long episodes released every Monday at 9pm BST. You can expect the next thrilling episode on Monday, November 3.
Don’t have cable? You can watch The Forsytes live on 5, or on-demand slightly after broadcast. 5, Channel 5’s online platform, is 100% FREE to use. Simply go ahead and sign-up for an account. All you need are a few details, such as name, DOB, and email address, and a valid TV licence.
Abroad? Download a VPN using the instructions below to access 5 like you would at home.
How to watch The Forsytes online from anywhere
If you’re a UK citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch The Forsytes online just as you would at home.
While services like 5 block access from IP addresses outside of the UK, there’s a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address to make it look like you’re accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, UK citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a UK-based server and access their subscription from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
How to use NordVPN:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for streaming is NordVPN (try risk-free).
2. Connect to a server – for online service 5, for example, you’ll want to select a VPN server based in the UK.
3. Now go to 5 – it will let you watch The Forsytes live or on-demand, just as you would back home.
How to watch The Forsytes online in the US
The Forsytes is coming to PBS in 2026, though we don’t know exactly when. So it could be a lengthy wait before it’s available to watch in the US. When it does drop, those with cable can watch it on PBS, and episodes should be free to stream via PBS.com or the PBS app initially. If you want extended access, then THIRTEEN Passport costs $5 a month (or $60 per year).
Abroad when The Forsytes airs? Simply use a VPN to port yourself back home and access the 5 streaming serviece.
How to watch The Forsytes online in Canada
Canadians will be able to watch The Forsytes when it debuts in 2026, although an exact date hasn’t been confirmed. Viewers will want a WPBS Passport membership when it does arrive, and which is billable at CA$5 a month. That’s all the information we’ve got right now, and we’ll update you here once we hear more.
Out of the country? UK citizens can simply download a VPN and connect Channel 5’s streaming service 5 like they would back home, no matter they’re located.
How to watch The Forsytes online free in Australia
Good news! Aussies can watch The Forsytes online (starring Australia’s own Joshua Orpin) with ABC iview, with episodes airing weekly from Sunday, November 9.
Signing up for ABC iview is easy. Simply enter your email, create a password…and that’s it! It’s FREE to use, and there aren’t any ads either.
However, it is regionally restricted. So if you’re from Oz but in another country right now, simply sign up to a VPN to appear right back at home.
The Forsytes Trailer
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The Forsytes Episode Release Schedule
- The Forsytes Episode 1 – Monday, October 20
- The Forsytes Episode 2 – Monday, October 27
- The Forsytes Episode 3 – Monday, November 3
- The Forsytes Episode 4 – Monday, November 10
- The Forsytes Episode 5 – Monday, November 17
- The Forsytes Episode 6 – Monday, November 24
The Forsytes Cast
- Francesca Annis as Ann Forsyte
- Fiona Button as Clarissa Heron
- Jack Davenport as James Forsyte
- Tom Durant-Pritchard as Monty Dartie
- Jamie Flatters as Philip Bosinney
- Naomi Frederick as Emily Forsyte
- Millie Gibson as Irene Forsyte (née Heron)
- Danny Griffin as Jolyon Forsyte
- Susan Hampshire as Lady Carteret
- Owen Igiehon as Isaac Cole
- Eleanor Jackson as Winifred Dartie (née Forsyte)
- Tuppence Middleton as Frances Forsyte
- Justine Moore as June Forsyte
- Stephen Moyer as Jolyon Forsyte Snr.
- Joshua Orpin as Soames Forsyte
- Sharon Rose as Alicia Cole
- Josette Simon as Mrs Ellen Parker Barrington
- Tristan Sturrock as Professor Heron
- Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa Byrne
How Many Adaptations Of The Forsyte Saga Have There Been?
John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga, which helped bag the author the Nobel Prize for Literature, has been adapted for TV three times. The BBC produced the first, BAFTA-winning version in 1967. This was followed 35 years later by the Damien Lewis-starring series from ITV, and which makes Channel 5’s lavish, six-episode revival the third and latest adaptation.