David and Lisa Campbell’s announce new podcast Into the Austenverse – and it couldn’t have come at a better time
David and Lisa Campbell‘s new podcast couldn’t have come at a better time.
Just when the world was in need of something wonderful to think about, something iconic and timeless that has impacted so many of our lives and the world, they have launched a podcast together.
Into the Austenverse will see the Jane Austen-loving pair will dive into the entire ‘Austenverse’ and its ever-expanding world of adaptations, re-imaginings and cultural references as well as masterful characters.
The couple will bring their own unique takes on Jane Austen’s work.
David, one of Australia’s most successful TV hosts and performers, and Lisa, one of Australia’s leading theatrical casting agents, will bring to life all of Jane Austen’s work in its many and varied forms.
This year marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, whose groundbreaking novels not only transformed literature but continue to shape and inspire modern culture.
Their podcast also comes ahead of Netflix’s new Pride and Prejudice series which will star Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy, and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennet.
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Lowden, the first “ginger Darcy”, triggered a passionate discussion between David and Lisa, which sparked the idea for a podcast.
“David asked me what my opinion was of ‘ginger Darcy’ and… I had a lot to say,” Lisa tells nine.com.au.
“I think there really needs to be the acceptance of hot, ginger men. And I think Jack Lowden is going to be spectacular.
“I was talking about the benefits he had as a tall man. Darcy is definitely tall, I talked about the strengths of Matthew Macfadyen and of course about Colin Firth.
“After about 25 minutes of not pausing for breath, you (David) looked at me and said, ‘This is a podcast.'”
“I think there really needs to be the acceptance of hot, ginger men.”
“For Lisa, Austen is a lifelong passion. For me, she’s been a cultural icon whose influence I’ve seen pop up everywhere, though I’d not read her work until recently,” David adds.
“With Into The Austenverse, we get to bring those perspectives together, dive into the books and the adaptations and have some fun along the way. It’s the perfect mix of pop culture and classic literature, and we can’t wait to share it with listeners.”
The podcast will be available on podcast platforms and YouTube, although the couple won’t be dressing up as Austen characters each time, despite that being the expectation of some, owing to how brilliant they look Austen attire.
Lisa does plan to wear her “barely tolerable” socks each time, a nod to Mr Darcy’s cruel comment upon first meeting Elizabeth.
David says while his pop culture knowledge is “quite vast, I did not know much about Austen and her writings and what every book and project means.”
He decided to jump write in and start reading all of her work.
Most wouldn’t even realise how impactful Austen’s work has been and how characters and storylines from her books have made their way into so many other productions, some of which David and Lisa still haven’t seen.
But they plan to look “at them all”.
All the actors who have taken on the role of Mr Darcy
So many serve as a “snapshot in time,” Lisa explains.
“They can feel so representative of a specific time that it’s almost like they get their claws into you at different times so for me, divorcing myself from the 1995 (Pride and Prejudice) and recognising that the 2005 (movie) is extraordinary.
“When we’ve been looking at the Emmas, that’s been so interesting to see the differences in the telling of the story. Not just in the sense that they were made by different humans, but how they were told in 1995 versus in 2023.
“And what’s going to be exciting for us is seeing how that’s going to happen again with the Netflix Pride and Prejudice, with Sense and Sensibility, with all the new versions coming out now, what is that going to stay about these stories to a modern audience.
“It’s so exciting for us to see what it says about the culture of those times, as well as the version of the story 250 years ago.”
And Austen’s fans know no bounds and continue to revere her work as new legions of fans join the community of “Janeites” in Australia and around the world.
Netflix recently announced the cast of their new Pride and Prejudice series, the BBC greenlit The Other Bennet Sister and Longbourn is now in production.
Meanwhile, the French feature Jane Austen Wrecked My Life has been delighting audiences on the international festival circuit.
Then, there are the classics, from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma to Keira Knightly’s Pride and Prejudice to movies inspired by Austen such as Alicia Silverstone’s Clueless and The Jane Austen Book Club starring Emily Blunt.
Purists always go back to the 1995 TV series Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth playing Mr Darcy.
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And all her books, now also available as audiobooks.
Jane Austen wrote six complete novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion.
Then there is her unfinished work, Sandition, which was later completed by a literary colleague known only as Another Lady, although there is speculation as to her real identity.
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Four of Austen’s complete books were published during her lifetime, and two, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published posthumously after her death in 1817, as was Sandition.
Austen herself is said to have never found her one true love. She never wed, devoting her life to her work.
Into The Austenverse is produced by Luckiest Productions and hosted on the Nova Podcasts platform. The first episode launches on September 22, with new episodes released weekly and available wherever you get your podcasts.
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