Sue Birtwistle's literary adaptations take attraction, money and women's lives seriously. Her work is well worth the time it asks for, though Cranford sometimes makes its genteel community look too comfortable.
Fi1m perspective
Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth let attraction take its time in Pride and Prejudice (1995), while keeping Austen's wit in play. We were won over by the romance because their performances made the leisurely pace feel worthwhile. Sue Birtwistle's patient approach to literary television works particularly well here, and we recommend the series warmly. Some supporting performances are too broad, but the central pairing gives us good reason to stay.
The serial marked her breakthrough as a producer, followed by Emma (1996) and Wives and Daughters (1999). Screenwriter Andrew Davies was a collaborator on Pride and Prejudice and again on Wives and Daughters. She favours location filming and lively performances, with sex, money and social standing kept in view rather than lost beneath the period manners. Her description of what she wanted is usefully modest: "What I meant by sexy was smoldering looks across rooms, or hands touching."
Cranford (2007) gives us a whole community to get to know, with Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench making it funny and moving. Birtwistle produced the series and co-created it with Susie Conklin. The women are never treated as decorative, which matters more than how agreeable the surroundings look. Those surroundings can, however, seem too comfortable for a drama interested in social change. We recommend it with a qualification that applies from the outset: it takes a while to get going.
The adaptation interweaves material from three Elizabeth Gaskell novels, so Birtwistle and her collaborators were deciding how separate stories could work together. That freedom is worth having when it gives the women more space, rather than making a serial feel padded. Her preference for extended storytelling pays off in the character detail and the pleasure of an ensemble, even if the pace occasionally needs defending. Start with Pride and Prejudice; give Cranford an evening when there is no hurry.
Biography
Sue Birtwistle (born Susan Elizabeth Birtwistle, 9 December 1945) is a British producer and writer of television drama. She was born in Northwich, Cheshire, and studied drama and English at Coventry College of Education, which later became part of the University of Warwick. In 1973 she married theatre and film director Richard Eyre; they have one daughter.
Birtwistle produced the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1995), written by Andrew Davies and directed by Simon Langton. Her other credits include Emma (1996), Wives and Daughters (1999), Cranford (2007) and Return to Cranford (2009). She has also produced earlier works such as Hotel du Lac (1986) and Scoop (1987).
Her productions have received awards, including for Pride and Prejudice and Emma, and she was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Cranford. In 2008 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Chester.
