Masterpiece Presents the Complete Jane Austen on PBS

Jane Austen lovers are in for a treat this winter. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the venerable Masterpiece series on PBS presents a major television event: The Complete Jane Austen. This much anticipated event consists of all six Jane Austen novels, plus Miss Austen Regrets, a dramatization of Austen's own life and loves.

Fans of the long-running PBS show Masterpiece Theatre will have to adjust to a name change, as the network has shortened the name of the respected series, changing the title to Masterpiece. Viewers of previous seasons of Masterpiece Theatre will remember hosts Alistair Cooke and Russell Baker; however, this season, the early part of Masterpiece will be hosted by former X-Files actress Gillian Anderson (who starred in Masterpiece Theatre's adaptation of Bleak House.)

The new season of Masterpiece will consist of three distinct parts: the first part is Classic Masterpiece: The Complete Jane Austen hosted by Anderson; the next part focuses on mystery series, and the final part features series set in modern times.

The Complete Jane Austen presents four new adaptations of Jane Austen's novels. These new presentations include Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Sense and Sensibility.

Also on the schedule are previously aired series Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. Before she became known to American audiences, Kate Beckinsale was a popular young actress who starred British television shows and films, like Cold Comfort Farm. Beckinsale plays Emma, in this sparkling adaptation of one of Jane Austen's most loved novels.