Jane Austen: The 250th Anniversary Collection: Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations
"A female-centred collection of four dramatisations celebrating Jane Austen’s classic novels - plus bonus series When I Met Jane Austen
On 16 December 1775, a literary icon was born. Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novels pioneered the romantic comedy genre and put women front and centre, depicting their innermost thoughts and feelings. To celebrate her 250th anniversary, here are four new dramas, focusing on the fabulous, flawed, funny and fascinating women who blaze out from her books. Full of her characteristic wit and biting comedy, they feature star-studded casts including Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Adjoa Andoh, and Ben Hardy.
Pride and Prejudice – Featuring one of the best-loved heroines in literature – lively, quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet – this dramatisation tells the story of the five Bennet sisters’ romantic escapades, as they endeavour to fulfil their mother’s dreams and marry well.
Sense and Sensibility – When their father’s death turns their world upside down, rational, reserved Elinor Dashwood and her impulsive, emotional sister Marianne leave their old lives behind and embark on a voyage of romantic discovery.
Northanger Abbey – Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is a kind, honest and unworldly young woman with a head full of Gothic novels and little experience of the real world. So when wealthy, handsome Henry Tilney invites her to Northanger Abbey, she is determined to discover its dark secrets...
Mansfield Park – Aged just nine, Fanny Price is sent away from her impoverished parents to live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park. Shaped by family and adversity, this displaced child becomes a fiercely moral young woman with an unshakable conscience – and as she navigates the complexities of love and jealousy, her true strength of character is revealed.
When I Met Jane Austen – Ten of the world’s most prominent authors and thinkers talk to Jane Austen biographer Paula Byrne about when they first encountered the great writer. Featuring contributions from David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate Atkinson.
Please note: The productions in this collection were originally aired as episodic shows and may be split into multiple parts.
Cast and credits
Written by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice
Starring Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Rosie Cavaliero, Lucy Doyle, Kitty O’Sullivan, Gaia Wise, Imogen Front, Louis Landau, Toby Regbo, Adjoa Andoh, Catherine Bailey, Josh Bryant-Jones, Sasha McCabe, Jasmine Hyde, Clive Haywood, and Sarah Thom
Dramatised in 2 parts by award winning writer Rachel Joyce
Produced by Tracey Neale
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Dec 2025
Sense and Sensibility
Starring Tamsin Greig, Madeleine Mantock, Rose Basista, Ben Hardy, Enyi Okoronkwo, Richard Goulding, Ava Talbot, Jasmine Hyde, Carolyn Pickles, Clive Hayward, Django Bevan, Sasha McCabe, and Bethan Rose Young
Dramatised in 2 parts by Claudine Toutoungi
Produced by Anne Isger
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Dec 2025
Northanger Abbey
Starring Madeleine Gray, Will Howard, Cecilia Appiah, Ella Smith, John Heffernan, Scarlett Courtney, Jasmine Hyde, Josh Bryant-Jones, and Django Bevan
Dramatised in 2 parts by Clara Glynn
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-9 Nov 2025
Mansfield Park
Starring Lydia Wilson, Bryan Dick, Tala Gouveia, Tom Mothersdale, Janice Acquah, Madeleine Worrall, Joshua Riley, John Hollingworth, Samuel Valentine, Faith Alabi, and Hollie Burgess
Dramatised in 2 parts by Clara Glynn
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-17 Jul 2022
When I Met Jane Austen
Presented by Paula Byrne
With David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate Atkinson
Produced by Maggie Ayre
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-19 Dec 2025
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"
Jane Austen (Author), Adjoa Andoh, Cecilia Appiah, Colm Tóibín, David Baddiel, Enyi Okoronkwo, Full Cast, Isabella Laughland, Kate Atkinson, Luke Thompson, Lydia Wilson, Madeleine Mantock, Miles Jupp, Rosie Cavaliero, Tamsin Grieg (Narrator)
Audiobook
