The Other Bennet Sister Fans Should Check Out These 7 Jane Austen Adaptations

Trends come and go, actors fall in and out of favour, but one thing you can safely rely on is the churn of fresh takes on Jane Austen’s works every few years. 

As well as straightforward adaptations of classics like Pride And Prejudice, Emma and Sense And Sensibility, there’s also a bunch of TV shows and films that have taken creative licence with Austen’s creations, to dream up their own take on the source material.

The most recent example is the BBC series The Other Bennet Sister, which retold the events of Pride And Prejudice from the perspective of the sidelined and bookish Mary.

If that show has inspired you to explore even more reimaginings that shunned literal adaptations for something more modern, we’ve got you covered.

Here are seven that you can watch right now…

Death Comes To Pemberley

For fans of Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries, who also love the wit and social commentary of Jane Austen, Death Comes To Pemberley is definitely worth checking out.

First broadcast in 2013, the three-part BBC series is based on the P. D. James novel of the same name, and reintroduces the classic Pride And Prejudice characters we all know, and plonks them in the middle of a whodunnit.

Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin takes the lead as Elizabeth Bennett opposite Matthew Rhys′ Mr Darcy, while the impressive, predominantly-British cast also includes Jenna Coleman, James Norton, Matthew Goode, Joanna Scanlan and Rebecca Front.

Reviewing it when it first aired, HuffPost UK called it “a lush lesson in gothic mystery”. 

Stream it on: BBC iPlayer 

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

Much like our obsession with Jane Austen, the zombie genre is one that has undergone multiple reinventions over the years.

So, perhaps it shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was when the two worlds finally crossed over in the movie venn diagram.

In this 2016 action horror comedy Lily James is Elizabeth Bennett and On The Road actor Sam Riley is her Mr Darcy. Unfortunately, in this take, 19th century England has been overrun by zombies, so the central characters have to contend with all of that in addition to the added pressure of being married off to the right suitor.

It’s what Jane would have wanted.

Stream it on: Prime Video

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Despite the clue being Colin Firth’s character’s name, it’s easy to miss that Bridget Jones’s Diary is actually inspired by Pride And Prejudice.

The iconic film, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, takes the foundation (and one key name) of Austen’s best-known novel and transplants it into the modern day. 

Instead of Regency era Hertfordshire, the story is set in early-2000s London – a time where chain smoking inside, idealised weight loss and “tarts and vicars” parties all ruled supreme – as Bridget ping pongs between her sleazy boss Daniel Cleaver and the uptight Mr Darcy. 

Stream it on: Now

Fire Island

With an impressive 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this queer take on Pride And Prejudice is a rare critical hit when it comes to modernised Austen adaptations.

The plot follows a group of gay friends as they head out on their annual summer trip to Fire Island, only to encounter another, wealthy group who throw perceptions and loyalties into question.

Come for an Austen adaptation that features references to OnlyFans and dark rooms, stay for a thoughtful movie that raises questions about queerness, race and identity through the romcom mold.

Stream it on: Disney+

Clueless

Considered by many as the GOAT of contemporary Austen reimaginings, Clueless spawned a whole school of 90s and 2000s teen movies that dipped into classic literature, such as 10 Things I Hate About You’s riff on Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew or Easy A borrowing from 19th century novel The Scarlet Letter. 

Based on Austen’s Emma, which centres around a spoiled rich girl with a taste for matchmaking, Clueless follows the same loose arc as Cher (played flawlessly by Alicia Silverstone) goes about setting up her high school friends, and navigating her own romantic interests in the process.

Because Austen’s Emma too, was a virgin who can’t drive.

Stream it on: Paramount+

Sanditon

Based on an unfinished Austen manuscript that was abandoned after 11 chapters, shortly before her death, ITV recruited Andrew Davies (the screenwriter behind 1995’s Pride and Prejudice and 2008′s Sense and Sensibility) to spin Sanditon out into three whole seasons.

The seaside drama uses up Austen’s material halfway through the first episode, dreaming up a new world of saucy shenanigans and morally dubious characters thereafter, with a cast including Theo James, Rose Williams and Anne Reid.

Stream it on: ITVX

Bride And Prejudice 

Puns? Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha? A Bollywood spin on Pride And Prejudice? You can’t talk about modern Austen adaptations without mentioning Bride And Prejudice.

The 2004 rom-com introduces a culture clash to the famous story, with an Indian interpretation of Elizabeth Bennett (renamed Lalita Bakshi) butting heads with an American (“Will” Darcy) over their contrasting ideas on marriage and lifestyle.

Extra marks for the incredible dance scene sequence.

Available to purchase on: YouTube