MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC will make a new mini series of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre. This will air on BBC One.
The serial stars Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram, Christina Cole as Blanche Ingram, Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs Fairfax, Pam Ferris as Grace Poole and Tara Fitzgerald as Mrs Reed.
Georgie Henley, who recently starred in The Chronicles of Narnia plays young Jane while Aidan McArdle plays the visionary John Eshton.
BBC drama commissioning controller Jane Tranter says, "Sandy Welch's wonderful version of Jane Eyre for BBC One will add that special ingredient to the mix of dramas due for transmission this autumn."
The BBC adds that the sustainability and appeal of Jane Eyre lies in her universality and the audience's appetite for a well-told romantic tale. Orphaned at a young age, Jane (Ruth Wilson) is placed with her wealthy aunt Mrs Reed (Tara Fitzgerald) who neglects Jane in favour of her own three spoiled children.
Mrs Reed's spitefulness leads her to withhold news that could change Jane's life for the better. Instead she brands her a liar and sends Jane to Lowood School where she remains until the age of 19. When she finally leaves the dark memories of Lowood behind, she embarks on a career as a governess and her first position is at Thornfield Hall, the home of the alluring and unpredictable Edward Rochester. Jane's journey into the world and as a woman begins.
The mini series producer Diederick Santer adds, "In her brand new adaptation of Jane Eyre, Sandy Welch has mined Bronte's novel for every ounce of passion, drama, colour, madness and horror available, bringing to life Jane's inner world with beauty, humour and at times great sadness.
"The locations we have chosen are stormy and majestic and I hope that Sandy's original take on the story will be enjoyed as much by long-term fans of the book as by those who have never read it."
Filming is underway until June at the historical medieval castle Haddon Hall, owned by Lord Edward Manners, and other locations across Derbyshire.