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Mrs Bennet has a problem - five of them, in fact. Not one of her daughters has managed to secure a husband. And with no boys in the family, when Mr Bennet dies, their house will be inherited by a cousin, leaving the female Bennets homeless.

And then who should arrive in the sleepy Hertfordshire town of Meryton but a pair of distinctly eligible bachelors: the charming Mr Bingley, with an income of several thousand pounds a year, and his enigmatic friend Mr Darcy...

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by Tom Pink

Audio Editing by Dorry Macaulay

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Tom Pink

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After dazzling the wealthy Mr Bingley at the Meryton Ball, the eldest Bennet sister, Jane, receives an invitation to visit him and his sister at Netherfield Park, the grand estate he's renting nearby. At her mother's insistence, she makes the journey on horseback, arriving drenched and bedraggled thanks to an only slightly mistimed thunderstorm.

The wet-corseted Jane proves no less captivating to Bingley, but when she catches a cold, her younger sister Lizzy hurries off on foot to be with her. The visit offers our heroine another encounter with Mr Darcy - the same man who insulted her looks and refused to dance with her at the Meryton Ball. What could go wrong?

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by Tony Onuchukwu

Audio Editing by Anisha Deva

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Josh Latham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With her sister Jane laid up in bed with a cold, Lizzy becomes better acquainted with Mr Darcy, pushing back at his unrealistic expectations of the accomplishments a young woman should have mastered. But the more she resists him, the more Darcy seems to admire her - much to the irritation of Bingley's sister Caroline.

The next morning, it's a full house of Bennets at Netherfield, as the girls' mother appears with her remaining three daughters in tow. Lizzy cringes at the impression her embarrassing family must be making on Bingley... and, perhaps more to the point, on Darcy too.

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by Miri Latham

Audio Editing by Dorry Macaulay

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Ralph Tittley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane remains at Netherfield as she slowly recovers from her illness. Meanwhile, downstairs in the drawing room, Lizzy shows no sign of letting Mr Darcy off the hook, teasing him about his stubbornness and pride. But despite Caroline Bingley's best efforts to stir up trouble between them, Lizzy's provocations only seem to stoke Darcy's admiration for her.

Soon, Jane recovers and the Bennet sisters can finally return home to Longbourn. Lizzy however is puzzled. She has begun to find Darcy's company amusing. But what exactly does he see in her?

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design and Audio Editing by George Tapp

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Josh Latham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two new bachelors arrive on the scene at Meryton, in the form of obsequious clergyman Mr Collins - the distant cousin who is destined to inherit the Bennet house - and the dashing young officer Mr Wickham.

Both men make strong impressions on Lizzy and her sisters... but which of these two potential suitors will strike first?

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by George Tapp

Audio Editing by Rob Plummer

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Ralph Tittley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s bad blood between Darcy and Wickham, and Lizzy soon has the full story. According to Wickham, Darcy sabotaged his career plans, forcing him to join the Army instead. What a scoundrel!

Jane Bennet warns her sister not to take Wickham’s account at face value. But does she always just think the best of everyone, or might she actually have a point?

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by Tony Onuchukwu

Audio Editing by Dorry Macaulay

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Josh Latham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode will be available for free on October 21st 2025. For instant access and ad-free listening, join Noiser+.

You are cordially invited to the Netherfield Ball… where Lizzy agrees to dance with Mr Darcy - despite the nasty gossip she’s been hearing about him. Is it possible there are two sides to the story after all?

And Darcy isn’t the only one who has his eyes on Lizzy at the party… her obnoxious cousin Mr Collins can’t seem to keep away from her either.

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Dame Julie Andrews

Written by Jane Austen

Recording Engineer: Sam Hamilton

Produced by Katrina Hughes

Script Supervisors: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Ed Baranski and Duncan Barrett

Sound Supervisors: Tom Pink and Oliver Baines

Sound Design by Miri Latham

Audio Editing by George Tapp

Compositions: Dorry Macaulay

Music Performances by Dorry Macaulay, Oliver Baines, Mia Whittaker, and Moritz Flohr.

Mix and Mastering: Josh Latham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.