Worried about the new Wuthering Heights? Stream ‘the best adaptation’ for free instead

The first trailer for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation is here, and fans have been seriously divided.

Based on Emily Brontë’s revered 1847 gothic novel, it stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, with the film charting their romance.

Set for release in 2026, fans have been left clutching their pearls over the trailer thanks to its seriously NSFW moments and artistic direction.

For those worried about the Saltburn creator’s latest film, a Wuthering Heights mini-series hailed as the ‘best adaptation’ of the novel, is streaming for free right now on ITVX.

Released in 2009, ITV’s Wuthering Heights series starred Tom Hardy as Heathcliff and Charlotte Riley as Catherine, alongside the likes of Andrew Lincoln, Rosalind Halstead, Rebecca Night, and Burn Gorman.

Written by Peter Bowker, the series holds an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, with fans praising how it tackles the central love story and its darker themes.

User Yuliya G wrote: ‘Best adaptation of the novel in my opinion. Love that the show hits on the important plot of Catherine/Linton/Hareton instead of just focusing on Heathcliff and Cathy. Must watch for fans of the book.’

Dk b added: ‘Excellent actors in this two-part British ITV television series adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Intense performances from Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley about passion, obsession, and revenge.’

An anonymous user said: ‘With the benefit of a mini-series format, this adaptation is more faithful than most to the original work (with some very notable exceptions) and the chemistry between real-life couple Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy adds something special.

‘I have yet to see a film version (And I’ve sought out as many as possible) that lays bare the raw, real, and sometimes ugly, emotions that give the book its cult status.

‘This version has several candy-coated aspects that keep it from being truly great. Maybe they don’t want to make a faithful version to make sure kids can’t cheat and watch the movie instead of reading the book.’

What other Wuthering Heights adaptations are there?

Wuthering Heights has been adapted for film, TV, and radio across the world, so Brontë fans have plenty to dive into.

It was first adapted as a silent film in 1920 by A. V. Bramble, but it is unknown if any prints still exist.

In 1939, it was once again adapted for film, with Merle Oberon as Catherine and Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff in one of his most iconic roles.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and is streaming right now on Amazon Prime Video.

Spanish-language, Bollywood, and Hindi-language versions of the film came in the 1950s and 60s before Robert Feust’s 1970s version was released, starring Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall.

Wuthering Heights films have been adapted in Japan, Pakistan, France, and the Philippines, highlighting the influence this story has had on popular culture worldwide.

In 1992, Peter Kosminsky released the next large British adaptation of the story, starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.

Nineteen years later, Kaya Scodelario took on the role of Catherine alongside James Howson as Heathcliff in Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights.

Another 11 years passed before Wuthering Heights hit the big screen in Bryan Ferriter’s Wuthering Heights, with Ferriter starring as Heathcliff with Jet Jandreau’s Catherine.

Why has there been backlash to Emerald Fennel’s Wuthering Heights?

The latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights has caused uproar among fans for several reasons.

The latest trailer sparked backlash thanks to its more raunchy content, which many decried as not being faithful to the original story.

‘The way this didn’t need to be a Wuthering Heights adaptation, like girl if you wanted to make a horny period piece then do that. No need to terrorise Emily Bronte,’ wrote @sshxniaa on X.

‘Emily Bronte is rising from her grave as we speak because why did they turn Wuthering Heights into Fifty Shades of Heathcliff and Cathy,’ said @daehaerys.

@witcheyre said: ‘Wuthering Heights has been transformed into a modern-day 50 Shades of Grey (with body horror involved). This gives me physical pain!’

Other fans have lamented Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff, noting that the character is not white in the book.

One part of the novel describes Heathcliff as a ‘dark-skinned gypsy in aspect and a little lascar,’ and there are several other references to his dark, ethnically ambiguous complexion.

Others also felt that Margot and Jacob were simply too normal to play these tortured characters.

Some fans also pointed out that Barbie star Margot is twice the age of the teenage character she is set to play.

Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights will be released on February 13, 2026

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