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{{Short description|2013 British television series}}
{{For|the book|Death Comes to Pemberley}}
{{For|the book|Death Comes to Pemberley}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
|name = Death Comes to Pemberley
| image = Death Comes to Pemberley titlecard.jpg
| alt = Series tile over an image of the house
| image = Death Comes to Pemberley titlecard.jpg
| caption = First episode titles
| alt = Series tile over an image of the house
| genre = [[Drama]]
| caption =First episode titles
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Death Comes to Pemberley]]''|[[P. D. James]]}}
| genre = [[Drama]]
| writer = Juliette Towhidi
| based_on = [[Death Comes to Pemberley]] novel by [[P. D. James]]
| director = [[Daniel Percival (director)|Daniel Percival]]
| writer = Juliette Towhidi
| starring = {{Plainlist|
P. D. James (Novel)
| director = [[Daniel Percival (director)|Daniel Percival]]
| starring ={{Plainlist|
*[[Matthew Rhys]]
*[[Matthew Rhys]]
*[[Anna Maxwell Martin]]
*[[Anna Maxwell Martin]]
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*[[Kevin Eldon]]
*[[Kevin Eldon]]
}}
}}
| narrated =
| narrated =
| creator =
| creator =
| composer =[[Startled Insects|The Insects]]
| composer = [[The Insects]]
| country = United Kingdom
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| num_series = 1
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 3
| num_episodes = 3
| executive_producer ={{Plainlist|
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
* Ed Rubin
* Ed Rubin
* Joanie Blaikie
* Joanie Blaikie
* P.D. James
* P. D. James
* Justin Thomson-Glover (Far Moor)
* Justin Thomson-Glover (Far Moor)
* Patrick Irwin (Far Moor)
* Patrick Irwin (Far Moor)
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* Polly Hill (BBC)
* Polly Hill (BBC)
}}
}}
| editor =
| editor =
| location = {{plainlist|
| location = {{plainlist|
* [[Yorkshire]]
* [[Yorkshire]]
* [[Derbyshire]]
* [[Derbyshire]]
}}
}}
| cinematography = Steve Lawes
| cinematography = Steve Lawes
| camera =
| camera =
| runtime = 60 minutes (each episode)
| runtime = 60 minutes (each episode)
| company = Origin Pictures, Masterpiece co-production
| company = Origin Pictures, Masterpiece co-production
| channel = [[BBC One]]
| network = [[BBC One]]
| first_aired = {{start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}
| picture_format = [[16:9]] [[1080i]]
| last_aired = {{end date|2013|12|28|df=y}}
| audio_format = [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]]
| first_aired = {{start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2013|12|28|df=y}}
| website = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01mqkm5
| website_title = BBC site Death Comes to Pemberley
| production website =
}}
}}
'''''Death Comes to Pemberley''''' is a three-part [[Television in the United Kingdom|British television]] drama based on the best-selling 2011 [[P.D. James]] [[Death Comes to Pemberley|novel of the same name]]. Her murder mystery was based on the style and characters of [[Jane Austen|Jane Austen's]] 1813 novel ''[[Pride and Prejudice]].''
'''''Death Comes to Pemberley''''' is a three-part [[British television]] drama based on the best-selling 2011 [[P. D. James]] [[Death Comes to Pemberley|novel of the same name]]. Her murder mystery was based on the style and characters of [[Jane Austen|Jane Austen's]] 1813 novel ''[[Pride and Prejudice]].''


The series was commissioned by Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning [[Ben Stephenson]] and then-Controller of BBC One [[Danny Cohen (television executive)|Danny Cohen]],<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/pemberley/ BBC media centre]. Retrieved 26 December 2013</ref> and was first broadcast from 26–28 December 2013 on [[BBC One]].<ref>Susanna Lazarus. [http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-26/death-comes-to-pemberleys-matthew-rhys-the-best-thing-about-playing-mr-darcy-is-that-shirt Death Comes to Pemberley's Matthew Rhys: "The best thing about playing Mr Darcy is that shirt"] ''RadioTimes''. Retrieved 26 December 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Jenna-Coleman-to-Star-in-Death-Comes-To-Pemberley- |title=Jenna Coleman to Star in Death Comes To Pemberley|work=Doctor Who|publisher=BBC|date=18 June 2013|accessdate=26 June 2013}}</ref>
The series was commissioned by Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning [[Ben Stephenson]] and then-Controller of BBC One [[Danny Cohen (television executive)|Danny Cohen]],<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/pemberley/ BBC media centre]. Retrieved 26 December 2013</ref> and was first broadcast from 26 to 28 December 2013 on [[BBC One]].<ref>Susanna Lazarus. [http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-26/death-comes-to-pemberleys-matthew-rhys-the-best-thing-about-playing-mr-darcy-is-that-shirt Death Comes to Pemberley's Matthew Rhys: "The best thing about playing Mr Darcy is that shirt"] ''RadioTimes''. Retrieved 26 December 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Jenna-Coleman-to-Star-in-Death-Comes-To-Pemberley- |title=Jenna Coleman to Star in Death Comes To Pemberley|work=Doctor Who|publisher=BBC|date=18 June 2013|access-date=26 June 2013}}</ref>


==Premise==
==Premise==
It is June 1803, six years after the marriage of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, as recounted in ''Pride and Prejudice.'' One evening, George Wickham and his wife Lydia (Elizabeth's sister) are travelling by carriage to Pemberly for a ball with Captain Denny. Wickham and Denny have an argument, and leave the carriage in anger. The two men disappear into the woodland, where Lydia hears two gunshots. After being informed, Darcy sends out a search party, who find Wickham distraught and hysterical, holding Denny's body and blaming himself for his murder.
It is June 1803, six years after the marriage of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, as recounted in ''Pride and Prejudice.'' One evening, George Wickham and his wife Lydia (Elizabeth's sister) are travelling by carriage to Pemberley for a ball with Captain Denny. Wickham and Denny have an argument, and leave the carriage in anger. The two men disappear into the woodland, where Lydia hears two gunshots. After being informed, Darcy sends out a search party, who find Wickham distraught and hysterical, holding Denny's body and blaming himself for his murder.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Div col}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Matthew Rhys]] as [[Mr. Darcy|Fitzwilliam Darcy]]
* [[Matthew Rhys]] as [[Fitzwilliam Darcy]]
* [[Anna Maxwell Martin]] as [[Elizabeth Bennet|Elizabeth Darcy]]
* [[Anna Maxwell Martin]] as [[Elizabeth Bennet|Elizabeth Darcy]]
* [[Jenna Coleman]] as Lydia Wickham
* [[Jenna Coleman]] as Lydia Wickham
* [[Matthew Goode]] as George Wickham
* [[Matthew Goode]] as [[George Wickham]]
* [[Trevor Eve]] as Sir Selwyn Hardcastle
* [[Trevor Eve]] as Sir Selwyn Hardcastle
* [[Alexandra Moen]] as Jane Bingley
* [[Alexandra Moen]] as Jane Bingley
* [[Rebecca Front]] as Mrs Bennet
* [[Rebecca Front]] as Mrs Bennet
* [[James Fleet]] as [[Mr Bennet]]
* [[James Fleet]] as [[Mr Bennet]]
* [[Penelope Keith]] as [[Lady Catherine de Bourgh (character)|Lady Catherine de Bourgh]]
* [[Penelope Keith]] as [[Lady Catherine de Bourgh]]
* [[Joanna Scanlan]] as Mrs Reynolds
* [[Joanna Scanlan]] as Mrs Reynolds
* [[Tom Ward]] as Colonel Fitzwilliam
* [[Tom Ward]] as [[Colonel Fitzwilliam]]
* [[Eleanor Tomlinson]] as [[Pride and Prejudice|Georgiana Darcy]]
* [[Eleanor Tomlinson]] as [[Georgiana Darcy]]
* [[James Norton (actor)|James Norton]] as Mr Henry Alveston
* [[James Norton (actor)|James Norton]] as Mr Henry Alveston
* [[Nichola Burley]] as Louisa Bidwell
* [[Nichola Burley]] as Louisa Bidwell
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* Lewis Rainer as Will Bidwell
* Lewis Rainer as Will Bidwell
* [[Mariah Gale]] as Mrs Younge
* [[Mariah Gale]] as Mrs Younge
* [[Teresa Churcher]] as Mrs Piggott
* Tom Canton as Captain Martin Denny
* [[Tom Canton]] as Captain Martin Denny
* [[Oliver Maltman]] as George Pratt
* [[Oliver Maltman]] as George Pratt
* David Blockley as Footman
* David Blockley as Footman
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===Filming===
===Filming===
Filming began in June 2013 on location in Yorkshire and Derbyshire and has been supported with investment from [[Screen Yorkshire]]. [[Chatsworth House]] in Derbyshire was used as the exterior of Pemberley, and rooms at Chatsworth and at [[Castle Howard]] and [[Harewood House]], both in Yorkshire, were used for indoor scenes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Death comes to Pemberley; behind the scenes|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10513639/Death-Comes-to-Pemberley-behind-the-scenes.html|publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=27 December 2013}}</ref> Areas of [[National Trust]] land, including [[Hardcastle Crags]], [[Fountains Abbey]] and the [[Studley Royal]] estate and [[Treasurer's House, York|Treasurer's House]], were also used in filming. [[Beverley]]'s Guildhall provided the location for a courtroom.<ref>{{cite news|title=Death comes to Pemberley on BBC1|url=http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Death-Comes-Pemberley-BBC1-Beverley-stunning-star/story-20362215-detail/story.html|newspaper=Hull Daily Mail|accessdate=27 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227220954/http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Death-Comes-Pemberley-BBC1-Beverley-stunning-star/story-20362215-detail/story.html|archive-date=27 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The gallows scenes were filmed on a purpose-built scaffold outside York Crown Court, with Wickham emerging from the gate to the old debtors' prison in the York Museum.
Filming began in June 2013 on location in Yorkshire and Derbyshire and has been supported with investment from [[Screen Yorkshire]]. [[Chatsworth House]] in Derbyshire was used as the exterior of Pemberley, and rooms at Chatsworth and at [[Castle Howard]] and [[Harewood House]], both in Yorkshire, were used for indoor scenes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Death comes to Pemberley; behind the scenes|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10513639/Death-Comes-to-Pemberley-behind-the-scenes.html|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=27 December 2013}}</ref> Areas of [[National Trust]] land, including [[Hardcastle Crags]], [[Fountains Abbey]] and the [[Studley Royal]] estate and [[Treasurer's House, York|Treasurer's House]], were also used in filming. [[Beverley]]'s Guildhall provided the location for a courtroom.<ref>{{cite news|title=Death comes to Pemberley on BBC1|url=http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Death-Comes-Pemberley-BBC1-Beverley-stunning-star/story-20362215-detail/story.html|newspaper=Hull Daily Mail|access-date=27 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227220954/http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Death-Comes-Pemberley-BBC1-Beverley-stunning-star/story-20362215-detail/story.html|archive-date=27 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The gallows scenes were filmed on a purpose-built scaffold outside [[York Crown Court]], with Wickham emerging from the gate to the old debtors' prison in the York Museum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/10579265.dramatic-gallows-scene-from-death-comes-to-pemberley-filmed-in-the-eye-of-york/|title=Dramatic gallows scene from Death Comes To Pemberley filmed in the Eye of York|date=30 July 2013|newspaper=York Press|access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref>
{{clear}}
{{clear}}


==Episodes==
==Episodes==
{{Episode table |background=#01645C |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |viewers= |country=UK |viewersR=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30?|title=BARB weekly top 30 programmes|work=[[BARB]]|accessdate=7 August 2015}}</ref> |episodes=
{{Episode table |background=#01645C |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |viewers= |country=UK |viewersR=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30?|title=BARB weekly top 30 programmes|work=[[BARB]]|access-date=7 August 2015}}</ref> |episodes=
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| EpisodeNumber = 1
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| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|26|df=y}}
| ProdCode = 7.81
| ProdCode = 7.81
| ShortSummary = Elizabeth Darcy and her husband of 6 years are in the midst of preparing for a ball. She finds time to make a charity visit Mrs Bidwell, a tenant who lives in an isolated cottage on the estate with her daughter Louisa (a maid at Pemberley) with her new-born baby and her son Will who is terminally ill and confined to his room. Mr Bidwell is away. Pemberley welcomes Elizabeth's parents and Mr. Darcy's cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. They do not invite two family members: Elizabeth's sister Lydia and her ne'er-do-well husband George Wickham [because of events that came to light in [[Jane Austen]]'s novel '[[Pride and Prejudice]]']. Georgiana is pursued in marriage by her cousin Fitzwilliam, but Lizzie knows she is in love with Alveston. An hysterical Lydia arrives at Pemberley late that same night saying that Wickham had argued with his friend Captain Denny who ordered the coach stopped and ran into the woods with Wickham running after him. She soon heard two shots leading her to order the coach to Pemberley at full speed. A search party soon finds Denny dead and Wickham bloodied and semi-conscious. Darcy contacts the local magistrate, Sir Selwyn Hardcastle, who investigates and quickly arrests Wickham for murder.
| ShortSummary = Elizabeth and her husband of six years, Mr Darcy, are in the midst of preparing for a ball at Pemberley. Elizabeth makes a charity visit to Mrs Bidwell, a tenant living in a cottage on the estate with her daughter, Louisa (a maid at Pemberley), and Louisa's new-born baby. Mrs Bidwell's son, Will, is terminally ill and bedridden. Mr Bidwell is away. Pemberley welcomes Elizabeth's parents and Mr. Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Two family members are not invited: Elizabeth's sister, Lydia and her ne'er-do-well husband, George Wickham, who once attempted to seduce Darcy's sister, Georgiana, into eloping with him (in [[Jane Austen]]'s novel '[[Pride and Prejudice]]'). Fitzwilliam romantically pursues Georgiana, but Elizabeth knows she is in love with Henry Alveston, a young lawyer. Late that night, an hysterical Lydia arrives at Pemberley. She says Wickham argued with their traveling companion, Captain Denny, who ordered the coach stopped and then ran into the woods with Wickham in pursuit. After hearing two shots, Lydia ordered the coach to drive to Pemberley. A search party soon finds Denny dead and Wickham bloodied and semi-conscious. Darcy contacts the local magistrate, Sir Selwyn Hardcastle, who investigates and arrests Wickham for murder.
| LineColor = 01645C
| LineColor = 01645C
}}
}}
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| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|27|df=y}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|27|df=y}}
| ProdCode = 6.00
| ProdCode = 6.00
| ShortSummary = Wickham is visited in jail by Fitzwilliam, who has his own reason for keeping quiet, although Fitzwilliam has an alibi for the murder as he was publicly seen in the company of the widow of one of his soldiers. Elizabeth assures the staff that they have nothing to fear—while cancelling the ball—but is intrigued by fragments of a torn letter whose writer sought to meet Darcy in the woods. She tells Hardcastle that she saw the woman believed to be the ghost in the woods but was certain she was mortal. Later, she comes upon a grave in the woods and is told it belongs to the Darcys' great-grandfather, a reckless gambler who almost lost Pemberley. Lizzie and Darcy quarrel because Darcy supports Fitzwilliam’s suit while Lizzie believes Georgiana should be allowed to make her own choice uninfluenced by Darcy’s opinion. Though Georgiana turns down Alveston's marriage proposal, the young lawyer supports Darcy at the inquest, whose jury finds Wickham guilty of murder and sends him to the Assizes to stand trial for murder. Meanwhhile Elizabeth learns that Louisa was seduced by a soldier and bore his child, and at Louisa's request enquires of the man's stated regiment. She learns that the soldier was Wickham, who used a false name to seduce Louisa. The baby is his. Elizabeth contrives to bring Louisa into court where she recognises Wickham and cries out to him in front of everyone including Hardcastle.
| ShortSummary = Fitzwilliam visits Wickham in jail. Fitzwilliam has a reason for keeping quiet, though he has a solid alibi for the murder. Elizabeth cancels the ball while assuring staff they have nothing to fear. She is intrigued by fragments of a torn letter she finds in which the writer asks to meet Darcy in the woods. She tells Hardcastle about seeing a woman believed to be the ghost roaming the woods but Elizabeth is certain she was mortal. Elizabeth and Darcy quarrel because Darcy supports Fitzwilliam marrying Georgiana, while Elizabeth believes she should make her own unfettered choice. Though Georgiana declines Alveston's marriage proposal, he attends the inquest with Darcy, where it is decided Wickham will stand trial for murder. Believing he will be acquitted, Wickham persuades Darcy to fund his and Lydia's travel to the New World. Meanwhile, Elizabeth learns that Wickham, using a false name, seduced Louisa and fathered her child. Elizabeth brings Louisa into court where, upon recognizing Wickham, she openly calls out to him.
| LineColor = 01645C
| LineColor = 01645C
}}
}}
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| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|28|df=y}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|28|df=y}}
| ProdCode = 6.05
| ProdCode = 6.05
| ShortSummary = In jail awaiting trial, Wickham admits to Darcy that he is the father of Louisa Bidwell's child. Louisa tells Elizabeth that on the morning of the murder she had met Captain Denny and a woman—the same woman Elizabeth and some of the housemaids had seen in the woods—who would adopt the baby. (The woman turns out to be Mrs Younge, Wickham's sister, who years before had lured Georgiana to Wickham.) Louisa changed her mind at the last moment, however. She also saw Colonel Fitzwilliam at the abbey that morning. Sir Selwyn Hardcastle becomes aware that Wickham is the father of Louisa Bidwell's child - it could be the clinching motive for the murder. Darcy discovers that Fitzwilliam had engineered the adoption, taking it upon himself to act for Darcy. Fitzwilliam falls out of favour and gives up Georgiana, freeing her to accept her true love, Alveston. At the trial, the bloodsoaked stone found near the crime scene is not admitted as evidence as its role cannot be interpreted. Pub landlady Mrs Piggott testifies to witnessing Wickham arguing with Denny. Hardcastle stays silent about Louisa Bidwell. Based on his self-incriminating confession at the scene of the crime and Mrs Piggott's account, Wickham is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Distraught, Mrs Younge rushes from the court room and is accidentally killed under a horse and carriage. Darcy stays near Wickham to support him in the day he has left before he is hanged. The vicar tells Elizabeth that Will Bidwell's illness will kill him within a day or so. Oddly both of them have been kept away from him "ever since the murder". Elizabth visits Will who reveals that the uniformed Denny came to the cottage looking for Louisa but Will mistook him for the soldier who'd stolen Louisa's virtue. He hit Denny with his stick. He chased the injured Denny, tried to warn him about a gully but Denny fell and hit his head on a large stone. Wickham arrived, found Denny dying, saw Will and fired Denny's gun at him, so Will fled.
| ShortSummary = In jail awaiting trial, Wickham admits to Darcy that he fathered Louisa Bidwell's child. Louisa tells Elizabeth that on the morning of the murder, she met with Captain Denny and a woman who would adopt the baby. This is the woman who has been mistaken as the ghost. She is Wickham's sister, Mrs Younge, who years before had lured Georgiana to Wickham. Louisa has decided to keep her baby, however. She also saw Colonel Fitzwilliam at the abbey that morning. Sir Selwyn Hardcastle learns Wickham is the infant's father, which is a motive for the murder. Darcy discovers that Fitzwilliam engineered the adoption, illegally acting on Darcy's behalf. After being discovered, Fitzwilliam gives up Georgiana, leaving her free to marry Alveston. Pub landlady, Mrs Piggott, testifies to witnessing Wickham arguing with Captain Denny. Based on his self-incriminating confession and Mrs Piggott's account, Wickham is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Distraught, Mrs Younge rushes from the court room and is accidentally killed by a carriage. Rev. Oliphant and Elizabeth visit Mr and Mrs Bidwell, where Will, near death, gives a signed confession: when the uniformed Denny arrived at the cottage looking for Louisa, Will mistook him for the soldier who seduced Louisa. He attacked Denny and then chased him. Denny fell into a ditch and hit his head on a large stone. Wickham arrived and found Denny dying. He saw Will and fired Denny's gun at him, so Will fled. Wickham is found innocent, and he and Lydia depart for the New World. Alveston and Georgiana become engaged. Darcy tells Elizabeth that Louisa does not have to give up her child as had been previously arranged. Elizabeth reveals to a delighted Darcy that she is pregnant.
| LineColor = 01645C
| LineColor = 01645C
}}
}}
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==Reception==
==Reception==
''[[The Guardian]]'' described the tone of the first episode as respectful of Austen's original, but "not afraid to stand out and be its own very different thing as well", describing it as a "mashup" between period drama and [[Agatha Christie]] or ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/27/death-comes-to-pemberley-tv-review]</ref> A later ''Guardian'' review described the series as "pretty much perfect Christmas TV", praising the appearance of the series and the "satisfying plot".<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/28/pemberley-downton-doctor-who-midwife</ref> Lina Talbot, writing for ''[[The Independent]]'', praised the casting of Mr and Mrs Bennet.<ref>[http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/12/27/death-comes-to-pemberley-%E2%80%93-episode-1/]</ref> The ''[[Radio Times]]'' praised the production values of the piece, and noted that they were supported by a "meaty" plot.<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-26/death-comes-to-pemberley-review--does-matthew-rhys-fill-colin-firths-shoes-as-mr-darcy</ref>
''[[The Guardian]]'' described the tone of the first episode as respectful of Austen's original, but "not afraid to stand out and be its own very different thing as well", describing it as a "mashup" between period drama and [[Agatha Christie]] or ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/27/death-comes-to-pemberley-tv-review|title=Death Comes to Pemberley – TV review|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=27 December 2013}}</ref> A later ''Guardian'' review described the series as "pretty much perfect Christmas TV", praising the appearance of the series and the "satisfying plot".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/28/pemberley-downton-doctor-who-midwife|title = Rewind TV: Death Comes to Pemberley; Downton Abbey; Doctor Who; Call the Midwife – review|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 28 December 2013}}</ref> Lina Talbot, writing for ''[[The Independent]]'', praised the casting of Mr and Mrs Bennet.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/12/27/death-comes-to-pemberley-%E2%80%93-episode-1/|title = Empty streets in Austria as country reopens shops and eases lockdown|date = 14 April 2020|access-date = 28 November 2014|archive-date = 6 December 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141206122654/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/12/27/death-comes-to-pemberley-%E2%80%93-episode-1/|url-status = dead}}</ref> The ''[[Radio Times]]'' praised the production values of the piece, and noted that they were supported by a "meaty" plot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-26/death-comes-to-pemberley-review--does-matthew-rhys-fill-colin-firths-shoes-as-mr-darcy|title = Home}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* Cano-López, Marina. Review ''Death Comes to Pemberley'' (TV series). ''CRTICKS: The British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies''. 14 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140227004003/http://www.bsecs.org.uk/criticks/ReviewDetails.aspx?id=181&type=4
* Cano-López, Marina. Review ''Death Comes to Pemberley'' (TV series). ''CRITICKS: The British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies''. 14 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140227004003/http://www.bsecs.org.uk/criticks/ReviewDetails.aspx?id=181&type=4
* {{BBC programme}}
* {{BBC programme}}
* {{IMDb title|id=2951788|title=Death Comes to Pemberley}}
* {{IMDb title|id=2951788|title=Death Comes to Pemberley}}
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[[Category:BBC television miniseries]]
[[Category:BBC television miniseries]]
[[Category:British crime television series]]
[[Category:British crime television series]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Fiction set in 1803]]
[[Category:Fiction set in 1803]]
[[Category:Historical mystery television series]]
[[Category:Historical mystery television series]]
[[Category:Television series based on Pride and Prejudice]]
[[Category:Television series based on Pride and Prejudice]]
[[Category:Television series set in the 1800s]]
[[Category:Television series set in the 1800s]]
[[Category:Television shows shot in Yorkshire]]

Latest revision as of 14:04, 1 November 2024

Death Comes to Pemberley
Series tile over an image of the house
First episode titles
GenreDrama
Based onDeath Comes to Pemberley
by P. D. James
Written byJuliette Towhidi
Directed byDaniel Percival
Starring
ComposerThe Insects
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
  • Ed Rubin
  • Joanie Blaikie
  • P. D. James
  • Justin Thomson-Glover (Far Moor)
  • Patrick Irwin (Far Moor)
  • Rebecca Eaton (Masterpiece)
  • Polly Hill (BBC)
Production locations
CinematographySteve Lawes
Running time60 minutes (each episode)
Production companiesOrigin Pictures, Masterpiece co-production
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release26 December (2013-12-26) –
28 December 2013 (2013-12-28)

Death Comes to Pemberley is a three-part British television drama based on the best-selling 2011 P. D. James novel of the same name. Her murder mystery was based on the style and characters of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.

The series was commissioned by Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson and then-Controller of BBC One Danny Cohen,[1] and was first broadcast from 26 to 28 December 2013 on BBC One.[2][3]

Premise

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It is June 1803, six years after the marriage of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, as recounted in Pride and Prejudice. One evening, George Wickham and his wife Lydia (Elizabeth's sister) are travelling by carriage to Pemberley for a ball with Captain Denny. Wickham and Denny have an argument, and leave the carriage in anger. The two men disappear into the woodland, where Lydia hears two gunshots. After being informed, Darcy sends out a search party, who find Wickham distraught and hysterical, holding Denny's body and blaming himself for his murder.

Cast

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Production

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Casting

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The cast was announced on 18 June 2013. The series was cast by Gary Davy. Actor Tom Ward, who plays Colonel Fitzwilliam, is the only cast member to have previously played a role in an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. He played Lt Chamberlayne in the 1995 BBC adaptation.

Filming

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Filming began in June 2013 on location in Yorkshire and Derbyshire and has been supported with investment from Screen Yorkshire. Chatsworth House in Derbyshire was used as the exterior of Pemberley, and rooms at Chatsworth and at Castle Howard and Harewood House, both in Yorkshire, were used for indoor scenes.[4] Areas of National Trust land, including Hardcastle Crags, Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal estate and Treasurer's House, were also used in filming. Beverley's Guildhall provided the location for a courtroom.[5] The gallows scenes were filmed on a purpose-built scaffold outside York Crown Court, with Wickham emerging from the gate to the old debtors' prison in the York Museum.[6]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [7]
1"Episode One"Daniel PercivalJuliette Towhidi26 December 2013 (2013-12-26)7.81
Elizabeth and her husband of six years, Mr Darcy, are in the midst of preparing for a ball at Pemberley. Elizabeth makes a charity visit to Mrs Bidwell, a tenant living in a cottage on the estate with her daughter, Louisa (a maid at Pemberley), and Louisa's new-born baby. Mrs Bidwell's son, Will, is terminally ill and bedridden. Mr Bidwell is away. Pemberley welcomes Elizabeth's parents and Mr. Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Two family members are not invited: Elizabeth's sister, Lydia and her ne'er-do-well husband, George Wickham, who once attempted to seduce Darcy's sister, Georgiana, into eloping with him (in Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice'). Fitzwilliam romantically pursues Georgiana, but Elizabeth knows she is in love with Henry Alveston, a young lawyer. Late that night, an hysterical Lydia arrives at Pemberley. She says Wickham argued with their traveling companion, Captain Denny, who ordered the coach stopped and then ran into the woods with Wickham in pursuit. After hearing two shots, Lydia ordered the coach to drive to Pemberley. A search party soon finds Denny dead and Wickham bloodied and semi-conscious. Darcy contacts the local magistrate, Sir Selwyn Hardcastle, who investigates and arrests Wickham for murder.
2"Episode Two"Daniel PercivalJuliette Towhidi27 December 2013 (2013-12-27)6.00
Fitzwilliam visits Wickham in jail. Fitzwilliam has a reason for keeping quiet, though he has a solid alibi for the murder. Elizabeth cancels the ball while assuring staff they have nothing to fear. She is intrigued by fragments of a torn letter she finds in which the writer asks to meet Darcy in the woods. She tells Hardcastle about seeing a woman believed to be the ghost roaming the woods but Elizabeth is certain she was mortal. Elizabeth and Darcy quarrel because Darcy supports Fitzwilliam marrying Georgiana, while Elizabeth believes she should make her own unfettered choice. Though Georgiana declines Alveston's marriage proposal, he attends the inquest with Darcy, where it is decided Wickham will stand trial for murder. Believing he will be acquitted, Wickham persuades Darcy to fund his and Lydia's travel to the New World. Meanwhile, Elizabeth learns that Wickham, using a false name, seduced Louisa and fathered her child. Elizabeth brings Louisa into court where, upon recognizing Wickham, she openly calls out to him.
3"Episode Three"Daniel PercivalJuliette Towhidi28 December 2013 (2013-12-28)6.05
In jail awaiting trial, Wickham admits to Darcy that he fathered Louisa Bidwell's child. Louisa tells Elizabeth that on the morning of the murder, she met with Captain Denny and a woman who would adopt the baby. This is the woman who has been mistaken as the ghost. She is Wickham's sister, Mrs Younge, who years before had lured Georgiana to Wickham. Louisa has decided to keep her baby, however. She also saw Colonel Fitzwilliam at the abbey that morning. Sir Selwyn Hardcastle learns Wickham is the infant's father, which is a motive for the murder. Darcy discovers that Fitzwilliam engineered the adoption, illegally acting on Darcy's behalf. After being discovered, Fitzwilliam gives up Georgiana, leaving her free to marry Alveston. Pub landlady, Mrs Piggott, testifies to witnessing Wickham arguing with Captain Denny. Based on his self-incriminating confession and Mrs Piggott's account, Wickham is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Distraught, Mrs Younge rushes from the court room and is accidentally killed by a carriage. Rev. Oliphant and Elizabeth visit Mr and Mrs Bidwell, where Will, near death, gives a signed confession: when the uniformed Denny arrived at the cottage looking for Louisa, Will mistook him for the soldier who seduced Louisa. He attacked Denny and then chased him. Denny fell into a ditch and hit his head on a large stone. Wickham arrived and found Denny dying. He saw Will and fired Denny's gun at him, so Will fled. Wickham is found innocent, and he and Lydia depart for the New World. Alveston and Georgiana become engaged. Darcy tells Elizabeth that Louisa does not have to give up her child as had been previously arranged. Elizabeth reveals to a delighted Darcy that she is pregnant.

Reception

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The Guardian described the tone of the first episode as respectful of Austen's original, but "not afraid to stand out and be its own very different thing as well", describing it as a "mashup" between period drama and Agatha Christie or Midsomer Murders.[8] A later Guardian review described the series as "pretty much perfect Christmas TV", praising the appearance of the series and the "satisfying plot".[9] Lina Talbot, writing for The Independent, praised the casting of Mr and Mrs Bennet.[10] The Radio Times praised the production values of the piece, and noted that they were supported by a "meaty" plot.[11]

References

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  1. ^ BBC media centre. Retrieved 26 December 2013
  2. ^ Susanna Lazarus. Death Comes to Pemberley's Matthew Rhys: "The best thing about playing Mr Darcy is that shirt" RadioTimes. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Jenna Coleman to Star in Death Comes To Pemberley". Doctor Who. BBC. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Death comes to Pemberley; behind the scenes". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Death comes to Pemberley on BBC1". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  6. ^ "Dramatic gallows scene from Death Comes To Pemberley filmed in the Eye of York". York Press. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  7. ^ "BARB weekly top 30 programmes". BARB. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Death Comes to Pemberley – TV review". TheGuardian.com. 27 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Rewind TV: Death Comes to Pemberley; Downton Abbey; Doctor Who; Call the Midwife – review". TheGuardian.com. 28 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Empty streets in Austria as country reopens shops and eases lockdown". 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Home".
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