The Secret Life of Emily Bronte – C4

By Mandy Cooper
( What's on TV )
published

Secret World of Emily Bronte
(Image credit: Production Company)

Two hundred years after the author's birth, Lily Cole - an admirer of Emily Bronte's work - explores her world and the groundbreaking novel she produced, Wuthering Heights

Superfan Lily Cole on a novelist who continues to inspire in the one-off documentary, The Secret World of Emily Bronte

Emily Brontë’s 1847 gothic novel Wuthering Heights has been much adapted for stage and big and small screen, is on the A-Level syllabus, and was even immortalised in the classic Kate Bush song.

Lily Cole on the Brontes

Lily in box bedroom, a famous location in Wuthering Heights

Model and actress Lily Cole is a massive fan of the story, which tells of the intense love between a mysterious outsider, Heathcliff, and his adoptive sister, Cathy. This absorbing film follows Lily as she explores the Yorkshire landscape that influenced Emily, and some of the novel’s controversial themes of domestic violence and ‘otherness’.

We also see Lily making her own film, Balls, which reimagines Heathcliff’s early life as a foundling in Liverpool.

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TV Times rating: ****

Mandy Cooper
Mandy Cooper
TV Times Highlights Editor

As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.