BBC and PBS Masterpiece’s Miss Austen is a charming adaptation of Gill Hornby’s novel bearing the same title. The four-part series boasts an ensemble cast, reimagining the life of famed author Jane Austen (portrayed by Patsy Ferran) through her letters and her sister Cassandra Austen’s perspective (played by Keeley Hawes).
The series takes viewers back in time, introducing them to a young Jane grappling with her ambition to become a published author amidst financial struggles. The legendary figure of Jane is vividly brought to life by Patricia Ferran, a 35 year old Spanish-British actress better known by her stage name, Patsy Ferran.
Born in Spain, Ferran moved to England at a young age, attending school in Surrey before honing her acting skills at Birmingham University. She later graduated from the esteemed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
While Ferran is perhaps more recognised for her stage work than her screen roles, she has an impressive list of accolades to her name. In 2019, she clinched the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in Summer and Smoke.
She has also been nominated for a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award, and a WhatsOnStage Award.
Her on-screen appearances include roles in Guerrilla alongside Idris Elba and Freida Pinto, Jamestown, Will, and the BBC‘s remake of Black Narcissus. Ferran’s filmography includes Tulip Fever, Darkest Hour, White Bird, and God’s Own Country.
The actress has an array of forthcoming projects lined up, including a role in Bong Joon Ho’s highly anticipated film Mickey 17, starring alongside Robert Pattinson, as well as appearances in Jay Kelly, Fools, and an episode of Netflix‘s Black Mirror series.
Ferran shared her experience of preparing for the role of Jane, which included learning to play the piano—a skill she had dabbled in as a child and found to be an “utter joy” to revisit.
Another crucial aspect of her preparation involved mastering the use of a quill and ink pen, a new skill for her, given the numerous close-up shots of Jane writing letters to Eliza or working on her novels.
She elaborated: “The only other preparation I did was reading some of Jane’s novels as I knew of Pride and Prejudice and knew of Sense and Sensibility through other films and visual mediums, but I’d never read any of Jane’s novels, so I read Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, and didn’t realise what I’d been missing… so I’m now excited to read all of Jane’s other work – there’s a reason she’s on our ten-pound note!”
Miss Austen airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9.05pm and is streaming as a boxset on BBC iPlayer now
