I love chick flicks. Spending an evening on the couch with my mom and sister, or my close friends for a night of Jane Austen or a romantic comedy is one of my favorite ways to unwind and relax.

Emma is one of my favorites. I’ve watched both the recent adaptations, but the Jeremy Northam and Gwyneth Paltrow remains the best.

At least for the moment.

BBC Drama announced today that it will revisit Jane Austen’s classic comedy tale this autumn in a four-hour miniseries. The period drama will be scripted by Sandy Welch, the talented screenwriter who also adapted North and South for the British network.

From the official press release:

Jane Austen’s masterpiece Emma is to be adapted by award-winning writer Sandy Welch (Our Mutual Friend, Jane Eyre, North And South) into a fresh, humorous and perceptive 4 x 60-minute serial for BBC Drama Production, for transmission on BBC One in autumn 2009.

Austen’s classic comic novel follows the story of the “handsome, clever and rich” Emma Woodhouse.

Dominating the small provincial world of Highbury, Emma believes she is a skilled matchmaker and repeatedly attempts to pair up her friends and acquaintances.

Brought up sharply against the folly of her own immaturity, the consequent crisis and her bitter regrets are brought to a happy resolution in a sharp and sparkling comedy of self-deceit and self-discovery.

BAFTA-winning Welch will unfold Austen’s witty and compassionate story over four hour-long episodes, providing a rich insight into one of the author’s most complex characters.

Emma was first published in 1815. Set in Regency England it was the last Jane Austen novel to be published before the author’s death in 1817, and is one of her most popular and best-loved books.

The 4 x 60-minute serial is produced by BBC Drama Production and will be filmed late spring/early summer 2009. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

Austen’s Emma was last adapted for television in the 1996 ITV single drama, starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. Gwyneth Paltrow starred as Emma in an Oscar-nominated film version by Miramax in the same year.

The Kate Beckinsale version was more faithful to the book, and likely more of what Jane Austen originally intended. Still, the Paltrow/Jeremy Northam version was undoubtedly the more charming, romantic and comedic of the duo.

One only hopes that BBC can take the best of both worlds and transform Jane Austen’s beloved tale into a classic miniseries for all time.

Hat-tip: AustenBlog

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