'Brilliant' Jane Austen series with Downton Abbey star now streaming

Worked your way through every Jane Austen adaptation imaginable? Here's one you've probably missed.

This four-part limited series first aired on ITV in 2008 and gives a very different take on Pride and Prejudice.

Many have praised the show on IMDb as one person gave a 10/10 review and wrote: "I am utterly captivated by this refreshing take on Austen. I used to love romantic periodical novels when much younger, but they have since fallen out of favour with me, as they are all so alike. Here I am quite unaware, as of yet, what may happen and I absolutely adore the suspense.

"The actors are well chosen for their task and I am quickly falling in love with them one by one. I never thought I would see Mr Bingley as adorable, but in this it is quite so."

A second gave 10/10 and wrote: "Three episodes in and I feel now is the time to say a big well done to all concerned. As a long time Austen lover and a fan of period/costume drama I was unsure what to expect from this reworking of a favourite story.

"As others have commented this bears similarities with 'Life on Mars', a person taken out of modern day life and deposited into the past, albeit Jane Austen's fictitious one."

While a third person commented: "The mini series was absolutely sweet and funny and it will be appreciated by real Jane Austen fanatics.

"It does resemble the weirdest dream that only authors of fan fiction have had. At times the plot lines turn into silly situations but for most of the time they are quite enjoyable.

"The young actors make the most of it. I wish response has been better so that the series can be longer."

A fourth audience member gave the programme 10/10 and titled their review "Brilliant!".

They wrote: "I just watched the whole thing. I hadn't even realized it was a mini-series, I simply got the DVD from netflix and popped it in. It didn't offer me the option to select episodes, it just played the whole thing as one big movie.

"One big, wonderful, delightful movie! I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in years. It was a complete treat. I love Pride & Prejudice; I've read the book, and seen most (maybe all?) of the screen adaptations, some multiple times.

"And I'm usually a bit of a purist, but I thought this might be fun, so I gave it a try. It well exceeded my expectations. I'm still aglow with enjoyment [sic]."

Lost in Austen is a tongue-in-cheek love letter to the celebrated writer and her best-known novel Pride and Prejudice.

The show follows self-confessed Jane Austen fan Amanda Price (played by Jemima Rooper) living in modern London during the Noughties.

After a disappointing proposal from her boyfriend, involving a ring pull from a can as a make-do wedding ring, Amanda finds herself inexplicably switching places with Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton) and ending up in the world of Pride and Prejudice through a door in her bathroom.

Amanda's presence quickly disrupts the events of the novel, sending things off-kilter as she desperately tries to get the plot back on course.

During Amanda's misadventures, she stumbles across Mr Darcy (Elliot Cowan) with the pair initially clashing before the sparks start to fly.

Lost In Austen boasts an impressive cast, including Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville as Mr Bennet, Doctor Who's Alex Kingston as Mrs Bennet, Grantchester's Morven Christie as Jane Bennet, Suits star Christina Cole as Caroline Bingley, and Tom Mison from Apple TV+'s See as Mr Bingley, among others.

Further casting includes Lindsay Duncan as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Guy Henry as Mr. William Collins, Michelle Duncan as Charlotte Lucas, Ruby Bentall as Mary Bennet, Pippa Haywood as Frankie, Amanda's mother, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Pirhana, Amanda's friend, Daniel Percival as Michael Dolan, Amanda's boyfriend, and Genevieve Gaunt as Georgiana Darcy.

Lost in Austen is streaming on Prime Video now