"Lost in Austen" (2008) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

3 September 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, lives in present day London with her boyfriend Michael, until she finds she's swapped places with Austen's fictional creation Elizabeth Bennett.

Plot Keywords:

Jane Austen | England | English | Romanticism | 1800s

Cast

Jemima Rooper	...	Amanda Price (4 episodes, 2008)
Elliot Cowan	...	Mr. Darcy (4 episodes, 2008)
Hugh Bonneville	...	Mr. Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Florence Hoath	...	Kitty Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Alex Kingston	...	Mrs. Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Morven Christie	...	Jane Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Perdita Weeks	...	Lydia Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Tom Mison	...	Mr. Bingley (4 episodes, 2008)
Ruby Bentall	...	Mary Bennet (4 episodes, 2008)
Christina Cole	...	Caroline Bingley (4 episodes, 2008)
Tom Riley	...	Mr. Wickham (3 episodes, 2008)
Guy Henry	...	Mr. Collins (3 episodes, 2008)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw	...	Pirhana (2 episodes, 2008)
Daniel Percival	...	Michael (2 episodes, 2008)
Gemma Arterton	...	Elizabeth Bennet (2 episodes, 2008)
Lindsay Duncan	...	Lady Catherine de Bourgh (2 episodes, 2008)
Michelle Duncan	...	Charlotte Lucas (2 episodes, 2008)

Also Known As:

Inside Austen (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials) (4 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Allerton Castle, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Mammoth Screen

Trivia:

The white polka dot dress with ornate floral pattern on the bodice that Ruby Bentall (Mary Bennet) wears to the Meryton Assembly Ball is the same costume Julia Sawalha (Lydia Bennet) wears while observing Wickham horse riding in "Pride and Prejudice" (1995), and Dagmara Dominczyk (Mercedès Iguanada) wears at the office of Monsieur Villefort in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

Quotes:

Mr. Darcy: About Miss Bennet. You lied. Why?
Amanda Price: God, I know you're supposed to be abrupt but that's a bit stark.
Mr. Darcy: I'm always stark with liars.
Amanda Price: [thinking] Elizabeth, what can I say? You're welcome to him. Miserable sod.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lost in Austen: Behind the Scenes (2008) (TV)

Delectable concoction!

...as they would say, wouldn't they? And then, in a Mr. Bennett manner, aside, "I wonder...", but audible enough to be overheard. I know this sounds a bit delirious, I'm just trying to show I was infected by the first episode - by zest! And a racy perplexity! I mean, the premise of undertaking this demands a serious grip on so many levels: how to make Austen's imitation of language not sound ridiculous, the heroine's punchlines not of-the-wall, the collision of the two worlds plausible and funny, mostly; it's my impression that the team succeeds all-in-all. It seems somewhat elliptic or restrained sometimes, but as Jane points out "without Elizabeth the equilibrium of this house is...fragile". For what does our uneasiness mean regarding the other side of the wall? What is Elizabeth doing in the 21st century? Can she really be enjoying herself? I think yes; I don't think we're going to see her for some time (maybe a sequel; good point!); for she is the splendor of the novel, so, once removed, we feel uneasy about our world and what it's doing, well, there, once we step into it!Hence the excitement, the fun and the suspense. "I wonder..." what comes next!