It is 25 years since we first saw Colin Firth and the famous lake scene in Pride and Prejudice
A life sized cake was unveiled to celebrate 25 years of the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Sue Birtwistle wrote the script over an eight year period, and she already had Colin Firth in mind from a previous project. Colin initially turned it down, and it took lots of persuading and a sensational script to get him to sign up. The story was brought to the screen by Andrew Davies, who also wrote the Sanditon script, and people are often surprised to find that the lake scene is not in the book.
The filming took six months, and Colin fell in love with his co-star Elizabeth, played by Jennifer Ehle. By the time Pride and Prejudice was on air, it was called an ‘affair’ and they parted on friendly terms.
Lyme Park was used as Mr Darcy’s Pemberly home in the show, and the lake the sight of the famous scene where Dracy swims in the buff. At least that was in the script. It was so cold on the day, Colin decided to keep his shirt on – and that was that!
Success of Pride and Prejudice
The BBC adaptation became the biggest costume drama success story in the corporation’s history. It was watched by millions of viewers, and the first batch of 12,000 videos sold out in two hours.
Colin was in Italy filming The English Patient, another winning film, when Pride and Prejudice was aired from 24 September 1995. Upon his return, extra security had to be laid on at the airport and he was genuinely shocked at how popular the show had been.
The show was nominated for six BAFTAs, including Best Actor for Colin and Best Actress for Jennifer Ehle, who won on the night.
Useful links
Lyme Park is owned by the National Trust and is a lovely day out in the North of England. They often have Jane Austen events and Regency Days where you can dress up and be your own Elizabeth or Mr Darcy.
