Britain's Novel Landscapes with Mariella Frostrup

Mariella begins with Jane Austen. She heads to Hampshire to discover how its distinctive landscape influenced Austen when writing landmark novels such as Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility. She also uncovers what life was really like in Austen's time and how well her novels reflected reality. Mariella visits a former home of the wealthy landed gentry, to find out how their ancestors may have been the basis for characters like Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. She discovers how living in 18th-century Hampshire means Austen could potentially be considered a war novelist, and also reveals why although none of her novels are actually set in Hampshire, Austen only seemed to be able to write in this county.

The literary expert explores Cornwall and the dramatic landscape that helped inspire Daphne du Maurier to create bestsellers such as Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. Mariella investigates the particular dangers and mysteries of Cornwall that brought du Maurier to create such eerie tales, some of which took Hollywood by storm. She discovers that aerial attacks on Cornwall in World War II gave du Maurier the idea for The Birds, that would go on to be a landmark movie by Hitchcock. She ventures to Bodmin Moor, where du Maurier once got lost, inspiring her tale of murderous smugglers. She also reveals why fans of Rebecca who come to visit the places that inspired the novel are actually visiting the wrong locations.

The literary expert heads to the Lake District to discover how its unique landscape inspired Beatrix Potter to create her world-famous animal stories. Mariella explores how Potter originally wanted to be a serious botanical scientist and it was only when she failed that she turned to writing. She visits the gardens, lakes and houses that Potter particularly loved, and reveals how the writer grew increasingly enamoured by traditional Lake District life and determined to save the area from development.

The literary expert explores Yorkshire and the dramatic landscape that inspired the world-famous Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Anne and Emily - to write some of their much-loved novels. She delves into their life stories and the harsh realities of the past, and discovers how a dramatic landslide may be the key to Emily's depiction of the moors in Wuthering Heights, and how the high child mortality rate in the Brontë home town of Haworth might have influenced Jane Eyre.