Pride and Prejudice (Davies)
by Jane Austen, Andrew Davies

(Lizzy to her family) Our heroine, 20 years old, very bright, very lively, with a mischievous sense of humour. In the modern parlance, she takes no shit from anyone.

23, her older sister. Beautiful, gentle, affectionate, tends to think well of everyone.

18, serious, bookish without being particularly bright, earnest and humourless.

15, high-spirited, sexually precocious, one of those girls who ‘just wanna have fun’. Thoughtless, but not a bad bone in her body.

17, very much under Lydia’s influence. Excitable and easily led.

late 40s, slightly older than Mrs Bennet, clever and dryly witty. Twenty-two years ago, in his youth, he got Mrs Bennet pregnant and did the decent thing and married her, and has stoically endured the consequences ever since.

early 40s, was probably a Lydia in her youth. She still has a romantic heart, but now all her energies are devoted to securing advantageous marriages for her daughters. Mr Bennet is ‘landed gentry’, Mrs Bennet is from a class below.

late 20s, is so grand that no one dares to call him by his Christian name. Enormously rich, he owns a grand house (Pemberley) and a large chunk of Derbyshire. Clever, proud, and reserved. But somewhere inside there beats a loving heart.

17, his much-loved sister. Very much looks up to her older brother.

25, is a rich young gentleman from the North. Warm, friendly, eager to see the good in everyone. He might have a slight Yorkshire or North-Eastern accent.

20s, his sister. Snobbish and judgmental, but desperate for Mr Darcy’s approval.

late 20s, another sister. Miss Bingley’s wing-woman. (Mr Hurst is only interested in drinking, card games and country sports, so didn’t want to be in this stage version.)

50ish, did very well in trade in Meryton, very proud of his knighthood. Good-natured, a bit pompous.

early 20s, his daughter. A close friend of Elizabeth’s, she has a ruthlessly practical approach to life.

30ish, a rather dim-witted clergyman who has an unjustifiably high opinion of himself. Greatly in awe of Lady Catherine, to whom he owes his living.

50s, a wealthy aristocratic widow, aunt to Mr Darcy. Autocratic, unpleasant and fairly stupid.

her daughter, early 20s, pale and sickly, she suffers from various unspecified health problems. Never speaks in this version.

late 20s, a personable young officer. Childhood friend (and now enemy) of Mr Darcy. We need to think he’s going to be the hero when we meet him, he’s so charming.

20ish, another officer.

late 40s, Mrs Bennet’s brother. Kind, sensible and practical.

30s, affectionate, aunt to Elizabeth.

60s, housekeeper at Pemberley.

or

late teens, servant at the Lambton inn.

servant to all locations as required.