Perspectives on Pride and Prejudice: TV History
by Justin Smith, Professor of Cinema and Television History at De Montfort University.1995 was an annus mirabilis for Jane Austen adaptations. That year, the BBCâs Pride and Prejudice (adapted by Andrew Davies and produced by Sue Birtwistle) was the centrepiece of a cluster of screen adaptations inspired by her novels which captivated audiences worldwide and introduced new generations to her work through vivid, contemporary interpretations and compelling performances.
Film and television productions are usually years in the making and often take circuitous routes from script to screen. So there are many answers as to how and why Persuasion (adapted by Nick Dear), Sense and Sensibility (adapted by Emma Thompson), and Amy Heckerlingâs Emma make-over, Clueless, landed in the same year as Pride and Prejudice to create Austenmania! But letâs call it serendipity.
Where did it all begin? Producer Sue Birtwistle had pitched Pride and Prejudice to Andrew Davies as early as 1986, as a book about âsex and moneyâ. But Michael Wearing, the BBCâs Head of Serials, insisted he adapted Middlemarch (1994) first â a heavyweight, âcondition of Englandâ novel. Why?
In the early 1990s the UK television landscape was changing. Deregulation brought a raft of new channels, some via cable and satellite, and the independent production sector was born. Even the BBC (bastion of public service broadcasting), was compelled to source 25% of its content from independents. This watershed, and the impending renewal of its Royal Charter in 1996, caused the BBC to question its staple offering (in which period drama had long been a prime ingredient), and some at the Corporation wondered whether the days of Sunday afternoon studio productions of Dickens (great acting, wobbly sets) might be over. They were. But what took their place (adaptations shot on location on film) would be expensive. Quality television didnât come cheap. Fortunately, the BBC had executive producers like Wearing who had the belief in homegrown talent and the nous to negotiate co-production deals with American television companies. So, with the help of US dollars, the BBC backed a raft of new adaptations for an average of ÂŁ1m per episode. As Davies recalls, âMichael Wearing sort of half-promised if Middlemarch works out we can do Pride and Prejudice next, and we did. Middlemarch was about esteem and Pride and Prejudice was full-on popularâ.
Once greenlit, with the backing of the American Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Network, production began in June 1994 and lasted five months, across locations from Grantham to Warwick and Derbyshire to Wiltshire. As Andrew Davies says, working in film gives all kinds of creative freedoms, for example to imagine scenes not in the novel (like the opening and the now infamous âdip-in-the-lakeâ). You can convey so much more visually on film, âwithout any ponderous dialogueâ.
Beyond the visual realm, casting was crucial to defining this Pride and Prejudice for a new age. Mr Darcy made Colin Firth a household name and Jenifer Ehle won a Best Actress BAFTA for her Elizabeth Bennet. Only rarely does classic literature enjoy the kind of popularity and press attention that this adaptation delivered. Despite a big-screen version in 2005, thirty years on, this is set to remain definitive for decades to come.