Wenn Jane Austen wüsste

...as they would say, wouldn't they? And then, in a Mr. Bennett manner, aside, "I wonder...", but audible enough to be overheard. I know this sounds a bit delirious, I'm just trying to show I was infected by the first episode - by zest! And a racy perplexity! I mean, the premise of undertaking this demands a serious grip on so many levels: how to make Austen's imitation of language not sound ridiculous, the heroine's punchlines not of-the-wall, the collision of the two worlds plausible and funny, mostly; it's my impression that the team succeeds all-in-all. It seems somewhat elliptic or restrained sometimes, but as Jane points out "without Elizabeth the equilibrium of this house is...fragile". For what does our uneasiness mean regarding the other side of the wall? What is Elizabeth doing in the 21st century? Can she really be enjoying herself? I think yes; I don't think we're going to see her for some time (maybe a sequel; good point!); for she is the splendor of the novel, so, once removed, we feel uneasy about our world and what it's doing, well, there, once we step into it!Hence the excitement, the fun and the suspense. "I wonder..." what comes next!

The mini series was absolutely sweet and funny and it will be appreciated by real Jane Austen fanatics. It does resemble the weirdest dream that only authors of fan fiction have had. At times the plot lines turn into silly situations but for most of the time they are quite enjoyable. The young actors make the most of it. I wish response has been better so that the series can be longer. I also wish they had made one about Lizzy's stay in London, which could provide for situations way funnier than those during Amanda's stay in Longbourne. On a different note it does make you think about whether or not things were the way Jane Austen described them but not enough to make you disillusioned with her world. Just the right amount of real-ness is attached to the book characters. To the book fanatics I'd recommend watching without prejudice and you'll have fun.

I'm not generally a fan of period dramas. I've never read "Pride And Prejudice" and I'm not sure if I've ever seen any adaptations. I was intrigued, however, with the premise of this series. Partly because it seemed similar to one of my favourite books of recent years: "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde (although this also, conversely, almost stopped me watching it).

I'm glad I did watch it. Right from the beginning, I was enthralled and entertained. The cast were superb. The writing was wonderful. Although it gave a modern twist to the story it was obviously done with great affection for the source novel and the use of language was very clever. It was also very funny in places.

Overall, one of the best TV shows I've seen this year. It's even tempted me to read the book and it's really not the style of book I would usually read.

I loved this series. The scene where Amanda sings "down town" was the funniest thing i've seen all year! I have to say that my favourite scene through out the series was the lake scene. When Mr Darcy declared his love for Amanda gave me goosebumps! The chemistry between the two main characters was such a joy to watch every week. I really enjoyed this series, right from episode one till episode four! I strongly recommend this! The storyline, acting from the crew, and the scenery are all equally fantastic. For me its Elliot Cowen vs Matthew Mcfadyen in the role of Darcy. I know that Colin Firth is said to be the best Darcy, but for me... its just not there. Jemima Rooper was great too. I expected to be jealous of Amanda at the end, but I just ended up going "awwwwwwwwwww" and also played it back at least twenty times! Loved it, loved it, loved it!

. . . in Longbourne.

I may be asked to hand in my Austen Purists card but I liked it. And I think ITV are far better advised to try and cash in on the Austen market with this type of product than with the anaemic reproductions of BBC period drama they treated us to last year.

It's limited but it's funny. One of mainstays is that the characters are all subtly different and we are mostly offstage with scenes from the novel happening elsewhere. Lydia is attractively vivacious rather than promiscuously giddy, Jane is not that pretty, Darcy is not offensively haughty, the stranger from the future is not offensively gauche, and Mrs Bennett who has been very quick to understand the threat the newcomer poses to her daughters AND take action, is set up for very interesting developments - more a fearsome adversary so far than a cringing embarrassment.

Lizzie even looks like Lizzie should, but since she's hardly been in it so far, we'll have to wait and see what Gemma Arterton comes up with when she gets a few lines. It's a big ask, so I'll be interested to see whether she and Jemima Rooper can carry it off.

But you can count me in. Definitely.