Where BBC’s Pride and Prejudice stars are now – from secret love child pact to Fifty Shades role & Game of Thrones snub
THE BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice made a huge splash in 1995 – who can forget that iconic scene where Mr Darcy emerges sopping wet from a lake?
The dramatisation of Jane Austen’s famous novel was brought to life by screenwriter Andrew Davies.
Prior to the TV series coming out, another version of Pride And Prejudice was written for the BBC in 1980 by the late Fay Weldon, who “died peacefully” yesterday morning aged 91.
Tributes flooded in to honour the award-winning author, who also penned The Life And Loves Of A She Devil, Praxis and Puffball.
The 1995 version is arguably better known as it helped make Colin Firth a household name - and its famous lake scene inspired similar sequences in and Bridgerton.
Here we take a look at what happened to its cast - from marriage breakdowns to film and TV snubs.
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Fifty Shades Of Grey role
Playing Elizabeth Bennet earned actress Jennifer Ehle the Best Actress gong at the 1996 BAFTA TV Awards and led to a lengthy film career.
After Pride and Prejudice, she reunited with former co-star Colin Firth in The King’s Speech in 2010, and starred in The Ides Of March, Zero Dark Thirty and The Blacklist.
Jennifer also appeared in the kinky Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy as Carla Wilkes, the mother of main character Anastasia Steele.
The actress, 53, who has also won two Tony Awards, had a brief career blip when Game Of Thrones recast the part of Catelyn Stark after she was filmed in the role for the pilot.
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Jennifer continues to star in TV shows and films including the much-applauded #MeToo movie She Said.
Marriage breakdown
It was a case of life imitating art when Colin Firth starred in Pride and Prejudice because while filming, a romance flourished between him and Jennifer.
Their relationship didn’t last, but the part made the actor a household name and arguably led to him being cast as Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones franchise.
Since then Colin’s bagged other big rom-com roles in Love Actually and Mamma Mia! but hasn’t shied away from thoughtful dramas including The King’s Speech and Single Man.
Now 62, he’s received numerous acting awards, an honorary doctorate from Winchester University, a Hollywood Walk Of Fame star and a CBE.
The actor separated from his Italian TV producer wife Livia Giuggioli, with whom he shares two children, in 2019 after 22 years of marriage.
It came four years after she had an affair with journalist Marco Brancaccia while they were briefly separated.
She later accused Marco of harassing her via phone calls and messages - something he strongly denied.
Husband's 'affair' with A-lister
Since playing Jane Bennet, Susannah Harker has enjoyed her greatest success in TV shows including Grantchester, Midsomer Murders and New Tricks.
The actress, now 57, was married to Game Of Thrones star Iain Glen, who played Ser Jorah Mormont, but their relationship unravelled amid cheating claims.
It was alleged Iain had an affair with Nicole Kidman while they starred in raunchy West End show The Blue Room, in which they performed a scene naked.
The claims, reported by the Daily Mail, were dismissed by Iain, who insisted his relationship with the Australian actress was above board.
Susannah later dated Paul McGann, who famously played the eighth incarnation of Doctor Who in 1996.
Became a teacher
Charles Bingley was played by Helena Bonham-Carter’s brother Crispin, who eventually left acting to become a teacher.
After Pride and Prejudice, the star notably appeared in an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, Absolutely Fabulous, ER and Rosemary & Thyme.
Charles also had cameos in Bridget Jones’s Diary and as a doctor in the James Bond film Casino Royale.
The 53-year-old – who appeared on University Challenge in 2011 – quit acting to teach English and Classics until 2019 when he became the Assistant Head at a school in Barnet.
Chicken Run 'ageism' row
Julia Sawalha, who played Lydia Bennet, is the sister of Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha.
Her next big role was in mystery drama Jonathan Creek where she played Carla Borrego.
One of Julia’s most famous roles was ‘Saffy’ in Absolutely Fabulous; she last played the part back in the 2016 film.
In 2020, she vented her frustration at Aardman Animations when it decided to recast her character Ginger in the upcoming Chicken Run sequel on Netflix, allegedly because of her age.
Julia, now 54, claimed to “have officially been plucked, stuffed and roasted” and said she was told her “voice now sounds ‘too old’”.
Controversial sibling
Emilia Fox, who played Georgiana Darcy, made a name for herself in period dramas, starring in Henry VIII, The Virgin Queen and Gunpowder, Treason & Plot.
It led to her landing her debut film role in Roman Polanski’s 2002 hit The Pianist. Other flicks followed, including Keeping Mum, Dorian Gray and The Carer.
Emilia, now 48, is best known for her playing Dr Nikki Alexander in Silent Witness, which she joined in 2004 and is now the longest-serving cast member.
The actress, who is the sister of controversial star Lawrence Fox, has also appeared on the likes of Celebrity Juice, Celebrity Gogglebox, Top Gear and Blankety Blank.
Gavin & Stacey star
Alison Steadman appears to have a knack for playing overbearing matriarchs, having earned acclaim for both Mrs Bennet and Pam Shipman in Gavin & Stacey.
The actress, now 76, has a swathe of shows to her name including The Singing Detective, Fat Friends and Orphan Black as well as appearing in the 2016 Dad’s Army film.
In 2007, the OBE-awarded star came 42nd in a Channel 4 poll of the 50 Greatest Actors, voted for by other thespians.
In Alison’s personal life, she’s an avid bird watcher and became an ambassador to the London Wildlife Trust in 2016.
Secret love-child pact
Benjamin Whitrow was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of grumpy Mr Bennet.
The actor appeared in other TV shows including Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse and New Tricks, and provided the voice of Fowler in the original Chicken Run movie
Benjamin, who was married to Catherine Cook from 1964 until his death in 2017, made an unusual secret love-child pact with his friend, the actress Celia Imrie.
Celia revealed they made a deal in her forties that he would impregnate her “before it was too late” so she could have a baby - but he would play no part in raising their son, Angus.
Despite this, Celia described Benjamin – who already had two children with his wife – as “a wonderful father” after he passed away.
The actor’s final film role was in the Winston Churchill war drama Darkest Hour, which came out in January 2018 – four months after his death at the age of 80.
EastEnders copper
Polly Mabel is best known for playing Kitty Bennet in the period drama but has also had smaller parts in a number of other TV shows.
She's had cameos in Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Doctors and Holby City.
Polly also landed larger roles in Gentleman Jack as well as EastEnders, playing DI Ellie Kent, and in Foyle’s War as Edith Miller.
Game Of Thrones spin-off part
The Good Life star Richard Briers’ daughter Lucy played Mary Bennet, and most recently appeared as Ceira Lannister in HBO’s House Of The Dragon.
The actress, now 55, has landed TV parts in shows ranging from Red Dwarf to Endeavour, Casualty and The Bill.
Lucy also starred in the 2013 BBC hit Our Girl alongside Lacey Turner, the comedy Alan Patridge: Alpha Papa and DC Comics’ superhero flick Zach Synder’s Justice League.
Five years ago she spoke out about the impact of her grief for her late father, admitting his death in 2013 left her “profoundly traumatised” and unable to watch his films.
Reprised infamous role
Adrian Lukis played cad George Wickham, but is better known for his roles as Sergeant Doug Wright in The Bill and Marc Thompson in Judge John Deed.
The 65-year-old has also appeared in Anatomy Of A Scandal, Death In Paradise and Black Mirror.
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Since 2013 he's played Colonel Blair Toast in the Channel 4 series Toast Of London and recently starred as General Claude Auchinleck in the BBC series SAS: Rogue Heroes.
Notably, in 2019, Adrian reprised his Pride And Prejudice role in the world premiere of the play Being Mr Wickham.