Radio Times

Object name: Radio Times, 23-29 September 1995

Object number: CHWJA:JAH467

Category: Objects

Description: An issue of the popular British TV guide for the final week of September 1995. The cover story is of a new TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, starting on 24 September.

Made: September 1995

Context: Andrew Davies’ sumptuous adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for the BBC burst onto British TV screens in September 1995, to critical acclaim and huge popularity. The six part drama was screened weekly, attracting huge audiences. The press called it ‘Austen-mania’. 100,000 video box sets were sold while the show was still on air, and 10 million people tuned in to watch the final episode.

Jennifer Ehle’s portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet, the darling of English literature, was applauded, but it was Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr Darcy that caught the public imagination. The scene in which he emerges from a lake in a wet shirt has become one of the most iconic moments in British TV history.

Radio Times. Andrew Davies’ adaptation of ‘P&P’ burst onto British TV screens in September 1995, to critical acclaim and huge popularity. It had record breaking viewing figures and the entire first run of VHS videos sold out within two hours of release. Jennifer Ehle’s portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet, the darling of English literature, was applauded, but it was Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr Darcy that caught the public imagination. The scene in which he emerges from a lake in a wet shirt has become one of the most iconic moments in British TV history.

Find out more about the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice…

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