Sense and Sensibility: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

BBC's 1971 4-part adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. The story revolves around Elinor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr. Dashwood by his second wife. They have a younger sister, Margaret, and an older half-brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the Dashwood women are left in reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relative's property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters' characters is eventually resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness. Through the events in the novel, Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense (or pure logic) and sensibility (or pure emotion) in life and love.

Series details

• Title: Sense and Sensibility
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama, Romance
• Premiere date: 1971-01-09
• Final broadcast date listed: 1971-01-30
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: BBC One
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 45 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 18888
• IMDb ID: tt0254768
• TVDB ID: 256565

Cast and credited roles

• Ciaran Madden — Marianne Dashwood
• Clive Francis — John Willoughby
• Isabel Dean — Mrs. Dashwood
• Joanna David — Elinor Dashwood
• Patricia Routledge — Mrs. Jennings
• Richard Owens — Colonel Brandon
• Robin Ellis — Edward Ferrars
• Esme Church — Mary
• Michael Aldridge — Sir John Middleton
• Sheila Ballantine — Lady Middleton
• Peter Laird — Rodgers
• David Strong — Palmer

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1971-01-09; final listed air date 1971-01-30; episode order: 4.

Source and licence

Adapted from Sense and Sensibility on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.