Ep. 11 - SANDITON’s Crystal Clarke: Becoming Georgiana Lambe
Rose Williams (Charlotte Heywood) and Crystal Clarke (Georgiana Lambe) in the adaptation of Jane Austen’s final (and uncompleted) work, Sanditon. Sanditon Season 2 premieres on MASTERPIECE in March 20 2022 on PBS.
We take a deep dive into Sanditon with a 2-part podcast starting with a conversation with actress CRYSTAL CLARKE. (Recorded March 14, 2022)
CRYSTAL CLARKE portrays Georgiana Lambe in Sanditon, the PBS MASTERPIECE series inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished novel. Season 2 of Sanditon continues Jane Austen’s classic quandary of how independent-minded young women can make their way in patriarchal Regency-era England.
Georgiana Lambe is an heiress from the West Indies. Her father was a wealthy white British plantation owner in Antigua. Her mother was an enslaved Black woman who was the property of Georgiana’s father. Georgiana is on the cusp of turning 21. She continues to be the target of fortune hunters but determined to forge her own identity and independence, and to be loved for herself and not her inheritance.
Crystal Clarke is an American actress who was born in New Jersey. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2014. Her stage credits include “The Beaux Stratagem,” “Macbeth,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “They Shoot Horses, Don't They?” Clarke has appeared in two Star Wars movies – Star Wars ep. 7, The Force Awakens; and Star Wars ep. 8, The Last Jedi. You can also see Crystal Clarke in Season 5 of the sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror on Netflix, as well as the BBC’s Ordeal by Innocence currently available on Amazon Prime.
Sanditon, Season 2, is a co-production of Red Planet Pictures, MASTERPIECE and ITV in association with PBS Distribution, airing Sundays on PBS MASTERPIECE from March 20 to April 24, 2022.
PART 2 of the Sanditon deep dive features a conversation with SHARON D. JOHNSON, Ph.D. screenwriter, journalist, depth psychologist, and scholar of television, film, and African American arts; literature; and culture. Dr. Johnson is a script consultant for MASTERPIECE, including Sanditon. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date.
Be sure to listen to episode 3 of our podcast - a conversation with SUSANNE SIMPSON, Executive Producer of the PBS drama series, MASTERPIECE. Simpson shares how this 50-year phenom is changing to bring more diversity to the stories, casts, and creative production of historical dramas, fiction adaptations, and mystery series set in the past with UK partners. (Recorded October 22, 2021)
Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys® and 18 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans since 1971. MASTERPIECE is known for hits such as All Creatures Great and Small, Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Victoria, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark.
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Watching Jane Austen
Many of these titles below are available on the PBS app or Amazon Prime. You can also do a regular browser search or use the justwatch.com streaming guide to find titles listed below to rent, buy, or subscribe through streaming services. Also check your local library for the limited series and films on DVD.
Limited series/adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels that have broadcast on MASTERPIECE (source).
Pride and Prejudice (1980, 1995) Jane Austen, age 20, began working on the novel in 1796 under the title “First Impressions.” The final version was published in 1812 thanks to the success of her first novel, Sense and Sensibility. MASTERPIECE broadcast a version of “Pride and Prejudice” in 1980 with a cast that included Judy Parfitt (Call the Midwife) as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. But the 1995 version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett is the most popular. The screenwriter is Sanditon 1’s Andrew Davies.
Persuasion (1995) - Amanda Root as Anne Elliott, and Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) as Captain Frederick Wentworth.
Sense and Sensibility (2008) based on Jane Austen’s first novel published in 1811. Featuring Dominic Cooper, Janet McTeer, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Lucy Boynton and more.
Mansfield Park (2007) with Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Hayley Atwell (Howard’s End, Captain America: The First Avenger)
Northanger Abbey (2007) with Felicity Jones, JJ Feild, Geraldine James
Persuasion (2007) with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry Jones. One of the 3 adaptations for the “Jane Austen Season” on ITV in the UK (Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey)
Emma (2009) Starring Romola Garai, Johnny Lee Miller, Blake Ritson, Michael Gambon. Emma was the inspiration for the 1995 teen film Clueless.
Sanditon 1 (2019) premiered on MASTERPIECE Rose Williams and Crystal Clarke appear in the first season as Charlotte Heywood and Georgiana Lambe. Theo James is Sidney Parker, Georgiana’s guardian. Sidney and Charlotte fall in love but a turn of events drives a wedge between them.
FEATURE FILMS
Becoming Jane (2007), pre-popular Jane Austen biopic directed by Julian Jerrold with Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith.
Clueless (1995) - Crystal Clarke says this teen drama is her introduction to Jane Austen. Clueless features Alicia Silverstone and is inspired by Austen’s Emma. Written and directed by Amy Heckerling.
Emma (2020) directed by Autumn de Wilde with Anya Taylor Joy (The Queen’s Gambit).
Love and Friendship (2016) directed by Whit Stillman with Kate Beckinsale, Emma Greenwell, Xavier Samuel and more. Based on a satirical novel penned by Jane Austen at age 14 for the amusement of her family.
Mansfield Park (1999) directed by Patricia Rozema, with Frances O’Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola.
Miss Austen Regrets (2007) Jane Austen biopic directed by Jeremy Lovering, with Olivia Williams, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Greta Scaatchi, Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, Midnight in Paris).
Pride & Prejudice (2005) directed by Joe Wright, with Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Bennett) and Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy).
Sense and Sensibility (1995) directed by Ang Lee - Emma Thompson (screenplay), Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Greg Wise.