Emma

Jane Austen's Emma is an adaptation of the 1815 novel of the same name. It was adapted for the British television network ITV in 1996, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence and dramatised by Andrew Davies, the same year as Miramax's film adaptation of Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow. This production of Emma stars Kate Beckinsale as the title character, and also features Samantha Morton as Harriet Smith and Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley. Davies had recently adapted another Austen novel as the successful 1995 television serial Pride and Prejudice for the BBC when he proposed to adapt the novel Emma for the network. The BBC, however, had already made such an agreement with another screenwriter, leading Davies to approach ITV. Emma received generally positive reviews from critics, who believed it to be superior to the 1996 Miramax film. Most focused on Beckinsale's performance as a positive highlight. It aired on ITV on 24 November 1996 and garnered an estimated 12 million viewers. It also was broadcast on the American channel A&E on 16 February 1997. Plot