“IT is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So said Jane Austen in her novel Pride and Prejudice. She could have gone on to say it is a truth universally acknowledged that a scriptwriter in possession of a good idea must be in need of a period drama. North Yorkshire writer Gwyneth Hughes had that idea, and the drama is Miss Austen Regrets. Gwyneth — who trained as a journalist before her television and scriptwriter careers — has penned a drama about spinster Jane Austen’s latter years. And, she says, the drama is based on a spurned proposal. She said: “Everyone knows Jane Austen never married. “For her millions of fans, this can only be a relief because it’s hard to see how a 19th-century wife and mother could have found time to write six wonderful novels. “All the same, you do wonder how this spinster lady felt about the absence of a real Mr Darcy in her life. “And then I read the most extraordinary fact. Jane Austen did receive a proposal of marriage from a wealthy young neighbour. And she accepted. She actually said yes to him . . . until, after a long night of discussion with her sister, Cassandra, she changed her mind.” It was this bit of history that inspired Gwyneth to write her story based on a close reading of the author’s letters. She said: “The script is very tightly based on Austen’s surviving letters to her sister and to her young niece, Fanny. “So I must share the credit for quite a lot of the dialogue with Miss Austen herself. “And I must say, it’s been a strange and humbling experience to feel this genius of English literature peering critically over my shoulder as I write. But I have loved every moment in her company.” Gwyneth cut her teeth on ITV’s The Bill and BBC1’s forensic crime drama Silent Witness. She then wrote two award-winning dramatised true stories, including Cherished based on the true story of Angela Cannings, who was wrongly convicted of killing two of her children. She was also the brains behind Five Days, which tracked five 24-hour periods following the abduction of a woman. It was shown on BBC1 last year to critical acclaim. :: MISS AUSTEN REGRETS will be shown on BBC1 shortly. | 
