Miss Austen; Boyzone: No Matter What

“Everything about Miss Austen is masterly, from the individual performances to the interweaving of narrative strands past and present. And it manages to keep Jane as the presiding spirit without selling any of the other characters short. Bonnets, brittleness and any form of simpering are conspicuous by their absence, and the four-part series becomes ever more of a treat as it goes on – warm, intelligent, clear-eyed, confident and thought-provoking.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“It is Keeley Hawes who’s the star of this restrained, piquant adaptation of Gill Hornby’s book, portraying the late Jane’s beloved sister Cassandra with her usual nuance, warmth and delicate control. It is a compelling if sad tale, full of intrigue, thwarted love and 19th-century, passive-aggressive politesse.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Like the 200-year-old original novels, Miss Austen requires close attention. Watch it with one eye while looking at your phone and you’ll miss the subtle hints that let you draw the threads together. But with an ensemble this good, watching closely is no hardship.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“There are all the tropes you might expect from an Austen-adjacent narrative – a regency ball, an overbearing mother, multiple marriage plots and societal scheming. It all preaches to an audience of existing fans, yet never quite reaches the dizzy heights of Jane’s own writing. But Miss Austen is nonetheless a gentle and charming period drama, filled with classy performances that will delight Austen fans if not necessarily spawn new ones.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“The costumes and interiors are beautiful – lovers of Farrow and Ball paint colours will swoon. And the drama does let us into Jane’s life, including moments of her reading out passages of her writing. It’s a pleasant way to pass an hour. The insurmountable problem is that if you make a period drama about Jane Austen, it automatically draws comparison to a period drama by Jane Austen, and it will be found wanting.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“What else is there to say beyond the usual rows, egos and splits? It turns out quite a lot – particularly on the corrosive effects of fame when overseen by a manager with a gift for making hits but apparently less interest in the pastoral care of his charges. In his interviews, Louis Walsh cheerfully admits to feeding stories – some made-up – about all five of them to the tabloids as he masterminded their ascent.”
Julia Raeside, The i

“This has a confessional feel to it, and there is a sense that some of those here are still working out their issues. Their troubles certainly make for compelling television, however, and offer a revealing peek behind the curtains of fame in the 1990s.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian