Lost In Austen - Meet the characters

Coming soon to ITV1, Lost In Austen is a reinvention of the classic novel Pride And Prejudice, in which Jane Austen’s story is thrown off track by a very modern heroine, Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper). Amanda swaps places with Elizabeth Bennet (new Bond girl Gemma Arterton) and takes centre stage in the celebrated love story.

Click on the pictures to read our interviews with the actors.


AMANDA PRICE (Jemima Rooper)
Amanda is disillusioned with her life in London and disenchanted with her boyfriend, Michael. Upon the discovery of Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom, Amanda soon finds herself swapping places with Lizzie, and entering the 'real' fictional world of Pride and Prejudice. She arrives at Longbourn, the home of the Bennet family, and realising she’s joined the action at the very start of the story, she acquaints herself with the remaining Bennet sisters and prepares to meet Mr Darcy. Soon Amanda’s presence in the story has corrupted almost every detail, and she’s going to have to work seriously hard to get the book back on track.

MR DARCY (Elliot Cowan)
Mr Darcy is the most famous of Austen’s heroes. He is an intelligent, wealthy, handsome and reserved man, who often appears haughty and proud to strangers but possesses an honest and kind nature. Initially, Mr Darcy is very suspicious of Amanda, he thinks she’s a trouble maker who enjoys meddling in other people’s affairs for her own amusement. Although he can’t admit it to himself, there is something about Amanda that he finds very intriguing.

ELIZABETH BENNET (Gemma Arterton)
Elizabeth Bennet is the second of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five daughters and her father’s favourite. She is famed for her lively, quick wit, intelligence and stubborn will. Elizabeth has a modern attitude to life, but how will she cope in 21st Century London, and what will her romantic destiny be without Mr Darcy?

MR BENNET (Hugh Bonneville)
Mr Bennet is head of the Bennet family. He’s an English gentleman, married to Mrs Bennet and has five daughters. Unfortunately, his property must pass to a male descendant, meaning it can only be inherited by his closest male heir, Mr Collins. He is a gentle and eccentric man who derives amusement from his nervous wife and daughters. Mr Bennet makes Amanda feel welcome in his home and finds her modern day eccentricities endearing. His support of Amanda is the source of much irritation to Mrs Bennet.

MRS BENNET (Alex Kingston)
Mrs Bennet is the querulous and excitable wife of Mr Bennet and mother of Elizabeth and her four sisters. Her main concern in life is seeing her daughters married to wealthy men, to ensure they will be taken care of following Mr Bennet's death. Mrs Bennet sees Amanda as a threat, she is convinced that Amanda is going to steal away prospective husbands from her daughters and makes an enemy of her very early on.

JANE BENNET (Morven Christie) is the eldest Bennet sister and is noted for her gentle charm and beauty. Jane takes Amanda under her wing and they become good friends, despite how different they are. In the novel Jane falls head over heels in love with Mr Bingley, but as Mr Bingley only has eyes for Amanda their love story is thrown seriously off track.

MARY BENNET (Ruby Bentall) is the most serious of all the Bennet girls. She enjoys performing for people on the piano, but otherwise she is not very interested in local society, seeing balls as a duty rather than a pleasure.

LYDIA BENNET (Perdita Weeks) is the youngest of the Bennet sisters and is extremely flirtatious, naive, headstrong and reckless. Mrs Bennet indulges her and encourages her idleness and folly. Lydia is fascinated by Amanda’s radical behavior and intrigued about her life in Hammersmith. In the novel, she elopes with Wickham, but will events take a different course with Amanda at the helm?

KITTY BENNET (Florence Hoath) is somewhat of a sidekick to her sister Lydia and follows everything she does. Lydia is Mrs Bennet’s favourite daughter and Kitty is constantly in her shadow. She has a tendency to become jealous of the opportunities Lydia is given.

LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH (Lindsay Duncan) is Mr Darcy's aunt and Mr Collins' patron. Lady Catherine is a domineering force who epitomizes class snobbery, and takes a controlling interest in the personal affairs of those beneath her. She is fascinated by Amanda but does not consider her a suitable match for her nephew and proves to be a true adversary.

MR COLLINS (Guy Henry) is the cousin of Mr Bennet. He’s a clergyman, the closest male relation to the Bennet family, and as such stands to inherit Longbourn upon Mr Bennet's death. Mr Collins is a pompous, narrow-minded sycophant who is excessively devoted and flattering to his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mr Collins is immediately taken by Amanda, and shocks everyone when he proposes to her.

CHARLOTTE LUCAS (Michelle Duncan) is the neighbour and best friend of Elizabeth Bennet. She is intelligent but unromantic and fears she will never marry because of her age. She sees through Amanda’s façade as soon as she meets her. In the novel, Charlotte marries Mr Collins, but with Mr Collins dazzled by Amanda, what will happen to her?

MR BINGLEY (Tom Mison) is a wealthy man and the closest friend of Mr Darcy, despite the differences in their personalities. He is an outgoing and extremely good-natured, young man who leases property near the Bennets' estate. Unlike many of those in his circle, he is approachable and mingles easily in company the others consider beneath them. He is attracted to Amanda the moment he meets her and fails to notice Jane, his rightful love match. Bingley’s crush on Amanda turns his life upside down and derails his entire romantic destiny.

CAROLINE BINGLEY (Christina Cole) is one of Charles Bingley's two sisters and is accustomed to fashionable society in London. She ruthlessly aspires to marry Mr Darcy and is not deterred by his dislike for her. She is conniving and two-faced, professing affection for Jane Bennet when in fact she despises the Bennet family. Caroline is immediately suspicious of Amanda, believing her to be a gold digger and goes to some lengths to destroy her. But she has a secret which only Amanda is able to discover …

CAPTAIN WICKHAM (Tom Riley) enters the story as a dashing, charming, and handsome officer of the militia. His father was the manager of the Darcy estate, but Darcy detests him as he believes he squandered his share of the late Mr Darcy's inheritance, and attempted to elope with Darcy’s sister, Georgiana. Amanda believes she knows all about Wickham’s treacherous and deceitful past, and immediately warns him to stay away from the Bennet family. Amanda knows he is not to be trusted, but their relationship develops into something that surprises both of them.