Pride and Prejudice remains a firm favourite among period drama fans, and here’s everything you need to know about the BBC’s 1995 cast
Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle’s version of Pride and Prejudice is often hailed as the definitive screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel(Image: GETTY)
Pride and Prejudice remains a beloved period drama staple amongst television and film enthusiasts, with Netflix preparing to release its adaptation later this year, starring Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy and The Crown’s Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, as well as performances from Olivia Colman, Rhea Norwood, and Louis Partridge.
However, many devotees of the BBC’s iconic Andrew Davies adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic romance novel are eager to revisit the series and are curious about the cast members and their lives today. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pride and Prejudice 1995 cast and where they are now, reports the Express.
Colin Firth’s role as Mr Darcy remains a TV icon(Image: GETTY)
Widely considered the definitive Mr Darcy, Colin Firth further cemented his reputation as the ultimate period drama heartthrob when he took on a contemporary version of the character in the Bridget Jones’s Diary films. Since Pride and Prejudice, Firth’s career has gone from strength to strength, and he picked up an Oscar for his role in the 2010 film The King’s Speech.
His other notable roles have included The Staircase, Young Sherlock, Disclosure Day, and Operation Mincemeat, in which he starred alongside fellow Mr Darcy actor Matthew Macfadyen. Away from the screen, Firth endured heartbreak in 2019 following his separation from his wife, Livia Giuggioli, after more than 20 years of marriage. The couple has two children together.
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Ehle received high praise for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet(Image: GETTY)
American-British actress Jennifer Ehle, who portrayed Elizabeth Bennet, continues to garner critical acclaim following her rise to prominence in the BBC period drama. She has featured in numerous films and television programmes across a range of genres, with some of her most recent projects including Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 alongside Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, Paramount’s espionage thriller Lioness, and The Vampire Lestat. Jennifer Ehle was married to writer Michael Ryan between 2001 and 2025, before the couple went their separate ways. They have two children together.
Susannah Harker
Susannah Harker is working on a film called Jane Bennet’s Second Spring(Image: GETTY)
House of Cards star Susannah Harker portrayed the warm-hearted Jane Bennet, and following the success of the BBC series, the actress has gone on to appear in Heat of the Sun, Ultraviolet, and Waking the Dead. She has also taken on smaller roles in ITV’s Grantchester, Midsomer Murders, and New Tricks, amongst other projects. Pride and Prejudice fans were delighted when Harker announced plans to create a film alongside her Mr Bingley co-star Crispin Bonham-Carter, entitled Jane Bennet’s Second Spring.
Julia Sawalha
Julia Sawalha won over viewers as Lydia Bennet(Image: BBC)
Julia Sawalha’s portrayal of the headstrong Lydia Bennet earned her widespread praise and stood in stark contrast to her depiction of the reserved Saffron ‘Saffy’ Monsoon in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. She subsequently appeared in Chicken Run, Jonathan Creek, and Lark Rise to Candleford. More recently, she has taken on supporting roles in Father Brown and Vera.
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman continues to win over new fans(Image: GETTY)
Alison Steadman’s portrayal of the melodramatic Mrs Bennet continues to be a firm favourite amongst Austenites. She has continued to win over audiences throughout the years thanks to her portrayal of Pam Shipman in the James Corden and Ruth Jones comedy Gavin & Stacey and the BBC comedy series Here We Go.
Steadman previously disclosed how she suffered a serious fall at a Dubai restaurant last year, but has since updated fans and confirmed that she’s making a good recovery.
Adrian Lukis
Adrian Lukis has reprised his role as Mr Wickham(Image: GETTY)
Adrian Lukis portrayed the charming rogue Mr. Wickham with great aplomb. He continues to work as an actor, and some of his most notable post-Pride and Prejudice credits include Judy, Heads of State, and How to Make a Killing.
More recently, he’s appeared in The Bombing of Pan Am 103, which is currently streaming on Netflix, the BBC’s The War Between the Land and the Sea, SAS Rogue Heroes, and The Marlow Murder Club.
Lukis reprised his iconic Pride and Prejudice role for his one-man stage show, Being Mr. Wickham, in London’s West End.
Crispin Bonham-Carter
Crispin Bonham-Carter has now become a teacher(Image: BBC)
Crispin Bonham-Carter portrays the amiable yet easily swayed Mr Bingley, and since the BBC period drama, the actor has appeared in Game-On and Coronation Street: After Hours, with smaller roles in Bridget Jones’s Diary, Absolutely Fabulous, Casino Royale, and No Angels.
Alongside co-star Harker, he is set to feature in the film Jane Bennet’s Second Spring.
He has since stepped away from acting and trained as a teacher between 2007 and 2008, going on to work as an English and Classics teacher. More recently, he’s been working as a head teacher, which he described as his dream job.
David Bamber
David Bamber continues to act in various projects(Image: BBC)
David Bamber’s socially awkward portrayal of Mr. Collins remains a firm favorite among Austen devotees, and he continues to appear in major productions, including the Hollywood film Valkyrie, HBO’s The Regime, Enola Holmes on Netflix, and Flesh and Blood.
Lucy Briers
Lucy Briers has shot back into the spotlight thanks to The Other Bennet Sister(Image: GETTY)
Mary Bennet actress Lucy Briers was propelled back into the limelight recently owing to her role as Mrs Hill in the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister.
The daughter of The Good Life’s Richard Briers and Doctor Who actress Ann Davies continues to forge a successful career, having appeared in the likes of House of the Dragon, Gentleman Jack, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, and Lockwood & Co.
Briers recently confessed at this year’s Hay Festival that she hadn’t actually read Pride and Prejudice before securing the role of Mary, and was far more drawn to dystopian fiction such as the works of J. G.Ballard.
Anna Chancellor
Anna Chancellor reunited with Colin Firth for What A Girl Wants(Image: BBC)
Anna Chancellor delivered a pitch-perfect performance as the envious Caroline Bingley. The actress, who had already made a name for herself prior to the BBC miniseries thanks to Four Weddings and a Funeral, has remained consistently in demand.
Most recently, she’s featured in Prime Video’s thriller The Girlfriend, Outrageous, My Lady Jane, The Split and Pennyworth. She reunited with co-star Firth in the 2003 teen comedy What a Girl Wants, which also starred American child star Amanda Bynes.
Away from the limelight, Chancellor shared the devastating news of her only daughter, Poppy’s passing in 2023 at the age of 36. Chancellor’s artist daughter had been battling leukemia, and the actress released a touching statement stating: “Poppy was and is an unbelievable life force of creativity, compassion, wit, beauty, and sheer uniqueness. She transformed our lives, and we are beyond grateful.”
Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin Whitrow sadly died in 2017(Image: BBC)
Benjamin Whitrow portrays the detached Mr Bennet and went on to appear in numerous productions following Pride and Prejudice. Amongst his roles were The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, and Island at War.
He also took on smaller parts in The Musketeers, Darkest Hour, Toast of London, with his final role being in Wolf Hall.
Whitrow sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 80 following a brain haemorrhage. The star had previously been married to Catherine Cook, and the couple had two children together.
Whitrow later entered into a relationship with Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again star Celia Imrie. The couple shares actor son Angus Imrie.
Pride and Prejudice (1995) is streaming on U now