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.