Following the success of BBC1 drama Miss Austen starring Keeley Hawes, BBC2 begins a new chapter celebrating Britain’s beloved author, Jane Austen, with a three-part documentary marking the 250th year of her birth.
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius offers a rare glimpse into the novelist’s innermost thoughts, family dynamics, flirtations and heartbreak through the private letters she wrote to her loyal sister and confidante, Cassandra.
Though much of Austen’s correspondence was destroyed after her death in 1817, the surviving intimate notes are rich with witty observations and sisterly gossip, painting a more nuanced portrait of the mastermind behind timeless classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma.
The series is also part of a special line-up of BBC content to honour Austen’s legacy in this 250th anniversary year.
Here’s what we know about the three-part documentary…
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius release date
The three-part documentary will air on Monday, May 26 on BBC2 at 9pm. It will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius — What to expect
With dramatic re-enactments and contributions from writers, historians, actors and enthusiasts, the series traces Austen’s evolution from a self-taught Hampshire country girl to a revolutionary storyteller who defied the conventions of her day.
Contemporary authors including Kate Atkinson, Candice Carty-Williams, Colm Tóibín and Bee Rowlatt MBE share their insights on why Austen’s novels are still treasured and adapted more than two centuries later. Plus, film-maker Ken Loach and Cherie Blair discuss her legacy.
“Jane Austen’s voice is so strong, funny and perceptive, and her work is still being copied and stolen by people like me. I shall be eternally grateful to her because I stole her plot for Bridget Jones’ Diary,’ says author Helen Fielding. ‘I learned most of what I know about writing by trying to imitate her.
“She’s the first novelist to write realistic portrayals of real women, with wit, intelligence, irony and understanding,” says Helen. “Elizabeth Bennet was the first woman I came across in a literary novel who seemed like an actual real person. She’s brave, decent, hilarious, kind and timeless. My heroine.”
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius — Actor insights
The series also features contributions actors who have starred in Jane Austen adaptations over the years, including Samuel West, Greta Scacchi and Tamsin Greig, who discuss playing her characters.
“Jane Austen is the reason I am with my wife of 30 years now,” says The Crown star Greg Wise, who met Emma Thompson while filming the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.
“Austen completely understands the human condition and what it is to be alive. It doesn’t make any difference to us, the reader, that we are being shown a world in the early 19th Century,” says Greg. "All the issues, woes, joys, frustrations and agonies of her characters resonate to us across the centuries, as we are still feeling the self-same things today. That is her genius.”
Is there are trailer for Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius?
There's not an official trailer but the BBC has released a first look teaser video. You can watch it here...
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