Lost in Austen 

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 Bennet.

Stars:

Jemima Rooper, Elliot Cowan, Hugh Bonneville

Cast

Series cast summary:
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

Storyline

Amanda Price is dissatisfied with her life in modern London. Her favorite escape is getting lost in the pages of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. One night, Amanda is startled to come face to face with the novel's protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet. A small door in her apartment mysteriously links their worlds. Eventually, Amanda becomes trapped on the other side, while Elizabeth remains in the modern world. Now as the events of her favorite book unfold in all the wrong ways, Amanda tries desperately to set things straight, but inevitably makes things worse. Will this fractured version of a classic tale lead Amanda to her own happily-ever-after?

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Plot Keywords:

jane austen | time travel | romanticism | portal | period piece | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

ITV [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Lost in Austen

Filming Locations:

Allerton Castle, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mammoth Screen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min (4 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The black velvet striped day dress Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine) wears at Longbourn is the same costume Anna Chancellor (Caroline Bingley) wears at Netherfield Hall in Pride and Prejudice (1995). The same costume is also worn by Janine Duvitski (Mrs. Bute Crawley) when Becky and Rawdon return to Queen's Crawley in Vanity Fair (1998), and by an extra in a London street scene in Little Dorrit (2008).

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Goofs

When Mrs. Bennet and the girls' carriage has broken down, just as Wickam arrives, you can see a airplane or helicopter in the distant sky over Mrs. Bennet's head.

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Quotes

Mr. Darcy: [surprised] Miss Price.
Amanda Price: Yes. We should celebrate. You asked me a question and I answered it. And we didn't have an argument about it.
Mr. Darcy: I did not ask you a question. I made an observation, 'Miss Price'. The confirmation of your identity was entirely superfluous. As a result we are now arguing about it. And therefore, you are wrong.
Amanda Price: That's so sweet. You're actually trying to make me laugh.
Mr. Darcy: Yes. It shall not occur again.
Amanda Price: And you're smiling.
Mr. Darcy: No, no. I only smile in private... when nobody is looking.

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Connections

Version of Pride and Prejudice (2003)

User Reviews

Surprising twists to a classic

I didn't make the mistake of reading reviews before watching this so I went in with no expectations. Before going any further I have to admit to having watched the 90's version of P & P and read the novel dozens of times. A true Austen freak, I am.

Like other reviewers, at first I was offended by the crudeness and lack of tact displayed by the Amanda character when she entered the world of the novel. How dare any true Austen fan behave in a way that displays such ignorance of Lizzie's world? She should have fit right in. But then I realized the choice to NOT make Amanda a perfect Eliza Bennet clone made for a much more dynamic story and more amusing moments between the characters. Instead of giving her the perfect accent, the perfect deportment, and the perfect manners right from the start, it took her some time to fit in. Her clumsy manner and bluntness caused her to make some mistakes that would seem impossible for a true Austen fan but enabled unexpected twists and turns in the story. And its these twists and the what ifs that I loved. I loved that the wrong people fell in love. I love that everything she thought was supposed to happen didn't happen. If I wanted to watch a P & P imitation, I would just watch the real thing again. I found the movie Becoming Jane, which attempted to follow a truer Jane Austen style, to be a sappy and insipid imitation that was truly forgettable and predictable. No one else can do Jane Austen and Lost in Austen doesn't try to. Instead, its fun and impertinent in a way that I think Jane herself would appreciate.