The BBC television adaptation Pride and Prejudice was first broadcast in 1995.
This six-episode British serial premiered on BBC1 on 24 September 1995, with the final episode airing on 29 October. It was adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, directed by Simon Langton and produced by Sue Birtwistle. Jennifer Ehle played Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth played Fitzwilliam Darcy.
The serial became a major television success because it combined Austen’s dialogue with a more energetic visual style and fuller attention to romance, money and social pressure. Its famous wet-shirt scene helped make Firth’s Darcy a cultural phenomenon, while the production’s success contributed to a wider revival of interest in Austen during the 1990s.
The year can be confused with other adaptations. The BBC had produced earlier versions in 1938, 1952, 1958, 1967 and 1980, while the well-known feature film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen arrived in 2005. In the United States, A&E broadcast the 1995 serial later, beginning on 14 January 1996.