The ball scene that made Mr. Darcy simp — reconstructed with actual nerds in breeches.
In Pride And Prejudice: Having A Ball, social historian Amanda Vickery leads the action as a team of experts recreate a Regency ball in honour of the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s popular novel. Joined by Alastair Sooke and a coterie of professionals – a food historian, a costume expert, music history academics and a choreographer who trains a team of dance students to take to the floor– cameras will follow the recreation inspired by Austen’s Netherfield ball. This intimate country house ball drives the plot of the Pride And Prejudice, and is a key turning point in the romance between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy.
Costume
Hilary Davidson's obsessive detail on undergarments that shape everything.
Production
The full sensory recreation — candlelit, period-accurate goose fat candles and all.
Director
Ian Denyer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The dance sequences were choreographed using 1816 manuals, including one owned by Jane Austen herself — the actual pages she studied.
This aired on BBC Two opposite Downton Abbey's peak popularity, essentially serving as public television's subtweet about what 'real' period drama requires.
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