Stars: Jack Huston, Pip Torrens, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots, Phyllida Law, Hugh Bonneville, Greta Scacchi, Adrian Edmondson

Summary: Based on Jane Austen's actual letters and diaries, this drama unravels the secrets of this elusive woman.

A passionate and emotional story of Jane Austen’s romantic life, inspired by the great writer’s own novels, letters and diaries. As Jane Austen approaches her forties, her success as a writer is assured and her witty and sharply observed romantic novels are widely admired. To her niece, Fanny Knight – a young, pretty girl desperate to fall in love – Jane is a favourite aunt who offers the wisdom and knowledge to help her in her own search for a happy marriage. Yet, when asked by Fanny to help her vet potential husbands, Jane's usual confident composure is threatened. Surely the woman so capable of writing love on the page must have experienced love herself, so why did she never marry?

Protected by her wit, Jane has presented a front as dazzling as many of her novels' young heroines, but as she reflects on her own romantic encounters and affairs, we are drawn into the passions, suitors and choices of her life – the cruel flirting, the proposals spurned and the love that seemed to arrive too late. As she recalls missed opportunities, the doubts arise. Did she make the right choice for herself and her family? Could the great romantic expert have been mistaken? And, could her principles about love and marriage possibly have been ill-judged?

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A BBC costume drama that focuses in on author Jane Austen as she heads towards her 40s, Miss Austen Regrets is a fine piece of television, grounded by a terrific performance from Olivia Williams (best remembered still for her supporting role in The Sixth Sense).

Miss Austen Regrets finds the title character at a point where her writing career has already proved to be a success. However, there’s the small matter of romance, which throws up a key paradox: given that Austen’s books deal with the matter so well, how has she failed to properly address it in her personal life?

It’s an interesting dynamic for a drama, and it works particularly well. Miss Austen Regrets finds her considering some of her past choices, and whether she’s made the right choices along the way. And buoyed by the aforementioned Williams and Imogene Poots as her young niece, it makes for highly enjoyable and rewarding television.

Miss Austen Regrets sits happily alongside the recent film Becoming Jane as an interesting and well-measured dig into the author’s life. And with good production values matched by a fine cast, it proves worthy not just as a fine drama, but the kind that’ll be enjoyed time after time. Recommended. --Jon Foster

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2008
Release Date:	April 28, 2008
Runtime:	85 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B B C D V D 2571
Keywords:	English, Miss, Drama, Period, Austen, Regrets
Genre:	Drama