More on the Jane Austen Festival on Masterpiece Theatre
Alert Janeite Heather L. sent us a link to a listing of upcoming programs on PBS, including the “Jane Austen Festival” on Masterpiece Theatre.
Jane Austen Festival
Producing organizations: WGBH and various co-producers. Presented by Masterpiece Theatre. Distributor: WGBH. Episodes: 3 productions 1 x 90-120, 1 production 2 x 120. Status: production. Major funders: PBS, CPB. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Andrea Flores, andrea_floresatwgbh.org; 617-300-2561.New adaptations of four Austen novels—Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion—will be scheduled over the course of the 2007-08 Masterpiece Theatre season to create a programming event.
Several new nuggets of information can be gleaned from this tidbit. We know that the three ITV films are all 90-120 minute productions shown as a single episode, so that means that S&S07, as long suspected, will be two 2-hour episodes, like the recent production of JANE EYRE (which we rather enjoyed, by the bye).
Also, please note that it is scheduled “over the course of the 2007-2008 season,” which means that the films might not air one after the other–they might be scattered throughout the Masterpiece Theatre season. Or maybe not. But we should be prepared for that eventuality.
ETA: Masterpiece Theatre will broadcast films beginning in January 2008.
January 31st, 2007 at 2:58 pm
About the new S&S, I wonder if the BBC is going to make it in 2007 already. Because I just read that there’s an adaptation coming up from Elizabeth Gaskell’s work again, from the same producer (Sue Birtwistle) who also did P&P2 (and wasn’t she also supposed to produce the new S&S?). So does that mean that they are not (yet) producing S&S? Because, they are not going to schedule TWO major period dramas this year, I suppose! (I wish they did, by the way! :P)
January 31st, 2007 at 10:00 pm
…the announcement mentions that they will”create a programming event”…which sounds as if they might actually air them together in some way as a festival.
February 1st, 2007 at 11:50 am
I would love it if Sue Birtwistle would produce S&S3, but I haven’t heard that she is. I loved that team-up of P&P2 and E3. Wives and Daughters was good, but was dissappointing at the end. Is the new Elizabeth Gaskell film going to be Cranford or a different one?
February 1st, 2007 at 2:07 pm
It’s called ‘Cranford Chronicles’ and has Judi Dench in it.
February 1st, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Thank you for this information, Franka! Hmm……three novels? I’ve never read Cranford is it any good?
February 1st, 2007 at 8:31 pm
According to the press release…
Three Elizabeth Gaskell novels have been woven together to create this uniquely rich and comic drama about ordinary human lives during the course of one extraordinary year in this small town.
February 2nd, 2007 at 7:44 am
Oh! BBC have reinstated the Cranford project! Well I am relieved. Thank goodness they didn’t lose out on casting Judy Dench! I wonder where they got the necessary funds after Universal pulled out of the project?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1807020,00.html