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‘Fresh Eyre’? How Original is Sandy Welch’s Televised Jane Eyre?

Abstract An analysis is presented of screenwriter Sandy Welch’s adaptation of Jane Eyre (BBC1, 2006), which places this production within the context of modern costume drama and examines the interplay between Charlotte Brontë’s novel and the television series. Both the rewards and tensions that are apparent in contemporary approaches to adaptation of period drama are highlighted, exploring, for example, the use of camera effects, lighting and sound, and examining Welch’s often problematic characterizations of Jane and Rochester. The legacy of previous adaptations of Jane Eyre is noted, as well as the influence of critical theory, intertextuality and cross-adaptation upon the contemporary screenwriter. The essay also touches upon the place of Welch’s production within the ‘Brontë Myth’, and examines both the interest and the complexity that is to be found in Welch’s desire to make her screenplay an ‘original’ reading of Charlotte Brontë’s novel.