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Miss Austen - BBC1

313 replies

witchycat2 · 02/02/2025 11:30

All episodes are now up on iplayer. It airs weekly on Sunday at 9:05pm from tonight.

I love a period drama. I've watched the first episode on iplayer and liking it so far.

Synopsis below from BBC:

Miss Austen takes a literary mystery – Cassandra Austen notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love.
The drama begins in 1830, many years after Jane has died. Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) rushes to visit Isabella (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiancé, who is about to lose her home following her father’s death. Cassandra is ostensibly there to help Isabella, but her real motive is to find a hidden bundle of private letters which, in the wrong hands, she fears could destroy Jane’s reputation. On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. In flashbacks, we meet Young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they navigate the romantic infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories. Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to find a way to guide Isabella towards the path of true happiness.

OP posts:
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Lentilweaver · 12/02/2025 18:38

Binge watched and absolutely loved it, once I had sorted the characters.So moving. Beautiful acting from Keeley H, Synnove K and Patsy Ferran. I did wonder if Rose Leslie would have made a better Jane, but Patsy convinced me by E2.
So much wit and love and courage!

OrsolaRosso · 12/02/2025 22:29

I found the first episode a hard to warm to, but after visiting Chawton and the Jane Austen House on Sunday, thought I would give it another go. And loved it! Have now finished the series, and really enjoyed it. The ending was so touching.

LoafofSellotape · 12/02/2025 22:37

OrsolaRosso · 12/02/2025 22:29

I found the first episode a hard to warm to, but after visiting Chawton and the Jane Austen House on Sunday, thought I would give it another go. And loved it! Have now finished the series, and really enjoyed it. The ending was so touching.

I might have seen you, I was there too, wasn't it wonderful? 😊

OrsolaRosso · 12/02/2025 23:04

LoafofSellotape · 12/02/2025 22:37

I might have seen you, I was there too, wasn't it wonderful? 😊

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What time were you there? We got there at 12pm. It was fascinating.

Printedword · 12/02/2025 23:06

So far I have watched 2 episodes. I thought the first one weaker than the second. Keeley Hawes is fabulous. I think the younger version of her character was not as well acted - in the first episode in particular, where she had a tan and a tendency to stray into 21st century body language. The younger version of Jessica Hynes character was also not that great in the acting stakes. The maid and Rose Leslie's character absolutely spot on.

gatheryerosebuds · 12/02/2025 23:49

I’ve just finished watching it. I couldn’t get into the first episode, but the characters really developed and there were lovely touches…Mary is splendid in an awful way! Feel like watching it all over again.

LoafofSellotape · 12/02/2025 23:50

OrsolaRosso · 12/02/2025 23:04

What time were you there? We got there at 12pm. It was fascinating.

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We were there at 12,how funny 😊 Did you walk along to the church and see Cassandra's and her mother's graves?

OrsolaRosso · 13/02/2025 05:35

LoafofSellotape · 12/02/2025 23:50

We were there at 12,how funny 😊 Did you walk along to the church and see Cassandra's and her mother's graves?

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@LoafofSellotape no we didn't know that was an option.

Copperas · 13/02/2025 06:43

Park Hoban wrote a really excellent biography of JA which really explains her life within her wider family. I started it thinking she had led a really quiet life, and ended it feeling envious of just what a wide circle she lived in.

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 08:37

OrsolaRosso · 13/02/2025 05:35

@LoafofSellotape no we didn't know that was an option.

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Oh shame, the church is very pretty and there's a statue of Jane too. It's just before Chawton House so if you go again just follow the signs for there.

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 08:39

Copperas · 13/02/2025 06:43

Park Hoban wrote a really excellent biography of JA which really explains her life within her wider family. I started it thinking she had led a really quiet life, and ended it feeling envious of just what a wide circle she lived in.

Yes she must've done to be buried at the Cathedral, our tour guide said it was through connections most likely of the brother as she wasn't well known when she died.

deeahgwitch · 13/02/2025 08:39

Thank you @Copperas sounds interesting.
I shall read it.
I too thought what a fairly grim life she must have had, though much grimmer if she lived in abject poverty so glad to hear she had a good life.

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 08:50

deeahgwitch · 13/02/2025 08:39

Thank you @Copperas sounds interesting.
I shall read it.
I too thought what a fairly grim life she must have had, though much grimmer if she lived in abject poverty so glad to hear she had a good life.

Not poverty how we'd describe it by any stretch of the imagination,her house at Chawton is gorgeous!

deeahgwitch · 13/02/2025 09:11

@LoafofSellotape I think you misunderstood my post.

I meant that I was glad she had a good life as depicted in the book recommended and not as dull as I had imagined.
I knew she didn't live in abject poverty but many women of that time did.
Dull boring (life) vs Dull, boring and very poor (life)

gatheryerosebuds · 13/02/2025 09:50

Chawton is gorgeous and I believe the big house that her brother lived in is now an American school.
Do they still point out the creaky stair which warned Jane if visitors were coming up?
In the 70s descendants ( I think) of the family lived there and you could go and buy eggs and honey!

gatheryerosebuds · 13/02/2025 09:52

Actually the big house is now a writing school

Lentilweaver · 13/02/2025 09:55

Did anyone envy the Austen sisters' marvellous social life with their girlfriends? Brilliant conversation, sleepovers, no flaking!

MyPrettyLittleBella · 13/02/2025 10:09

I live within walking distance of Chawton but have never really managed to get into Jane Austen! 'Miss Austen' is the first thing that has really sparked my interest. I think because it is told through Cassandra and her memories. I found it so very moving and Keely Hawes was just lovely; I would love to see her play a main character in an Austen film adaptation (maybe she has already?!).

Chawton House is a very interesting place and a really lovely spot to visit. If you happen to be there are the right time (during the local 'Regency Week' especially) you might feel as though you have travelled back in time with people wandering around in regency dress. Chawton House have their own podcast, episode 4 with the researcher really goes into the history of the house and the medieval house that stood there before the Knight family acquired it. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chawton-house-podcast/id1533649410

wildfellhall · 13/02/2025 10:44

I started this thinking "this will be a murder mystery at Pemberly style silly Austen book club nonsense"

But by the end it does go deeply into real questions about the challenges of being a genius woman without any power at the time.

She was very unlucky with her publishing deals as well.

Keeley Hawes is a wonderful actor - I love her.

And Jessica Hynes. I mean she could go back in time and do a great turn at so many Austen viperish women - but here I felt she really embodied the bitch who is sometimes lovely. Younger Jessica Hynes was fabulous as well.

This dramatized for me the idea of what it must be like to be the closest person to a genius, loving them in the ordinary self but being impossibly proud of their genius.

But what a shame she burnt all those letters - for us.

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 11:30

deeahgwitch · 13/02/2025 09:11

@LoafofSellotape I think you misunderstood my post.

I meant that I was glad she had a good life as depicted in the book recommended and not as dull as I had imagined.
I knew she didn't live in abject poverty but many women of that time did.
Dull boring (life) vs Dull, boring and very poor (life)

Ah right, I get you 👍

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 11:33

wildfellhall · 13/02/2025 10:44

I started this thinking "this will be a murder mystery at Pemberly style silly Austen book club nonsense"

But by the end it does go deeply into real questions about the challenges of being a genius woman without any power at the time.

She was very unlucky with her publishing deals as well.

Keeley Hawes is a wonderful actor - I love her.

And Jessica Hynes. I mean she could go back in time and do a great turn at so many Austen viperish women - but here I felt she really embodied the bitch who is sometimes lovely. Younger Jessica Hynes was fabulous as well.

This dramatized for me the idea of what it must be like to be the closest person to a genius, loving them in the ordinary self but being impossibly proud of their genius.

But what a shame she burnt all those letters - for us.

Interesting that the drama suggested Cassandra wanted the letters as they were about her and her fiance who died. From what I read at Chawton it was more that Jane had a sharp tongue and there was lots in letters that could have hurt the family's feelings! Over 3,000 letters!

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 11:43

MyPrettyLittleBella · 13/02/2025 10:09

I live within walking distance of Chawton but have never really managed to get into Jane Austen! 'Miss Austen' is the first thing that has really sparked my interest. I think because it is told through Cassandra and her memories. I found it so very moving and Keely Hawes was just lovely; I would love to see her play a main character in an Austen film adaptation (maybe she has already?!).

Chawton House is a very interesting place and a really lovely spot to visit. If you happen to be there are the right time (during the local 'Regency Week' especially) you might feel as though you have travelled back in time with people wandering around in regency dress. Chawton House have their own podcast, episode 4 with the researcher really goes into the history of the house and the medieval house that stood there before the Knight family acquired it. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chawton-house-podcast/id1533649410

Oh you lucky thing,it's beautiful there !

wildfellhall · 13/02/2025 16:36

Loafofsellophane

The thought of those letters, they would have been so brilliant!

Shetlands · 13/02/2025 16:43

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 11:33

Interesting that the drama suggested Cassandra wanted the letters as they were about her and her fiance who died. From what I read at Chawton it was more that Jane had a sharp tongue and there was lots in letters that could have hurt the family's feelings! Over 3,000 letters!

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You're right, Jane did have a sharp tongue in private and her wit could be shockingly insulting to some people. The evidence for this is within the many letters that still survive so we can only guess how many cutting remarks went up in flames.

LoafofSellotape · 13/02/2025 16:44

Shetlands · 13/02/2025 16:43

You're right, Jane did have a sharp tongue in private and her wit could be shockingly insulting to some people. The evidence for this is within the many letters that still survive so we can only guess how many cutting remarks went up in flames.

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What a best seller they would've made 😂