Mary Pearson (possible inspiration for Lydia) by William Wood, Jane Austen's House Museum
Because someone seems to think Lydia Bennet, supporting character of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice who moves a lot of the plot along, is a MILF, here’s a roundup of all the Lydia’s on screen. Lydia is young, flightly, flirty, and makes some REALLY bad decisions, like getting involved with dastardly Mr. Wickham. And someone in the world thinks she’s hot, in a MILF-y way, which I don’t totally get but hey, you do you!
Here’s all the screen Lydia’s I can find without going into obscure productions not listed on IMDB:
Eileen Erskine in Pride and Prejudice (1938)
I can’t actually find a photo of Erskine/Lydia in this very early BBC TV production, so you’re going to have to be content with:
Ann Rutherford in Pride and Prejudice (1940)
It’s been too long for me to remember Rutherford’s take on Lydia, but I like her look, especially the hair!
Prunella Scales in Pride and Prejudice (1952)
Another BBC TV movie. The film has actually been lost, but knowing Scales’s talent, I’m sure she made a great Lydia.
Vivienne Martin in Pride and Prejudice (1958)
Another BBC production, this one has very little documentation out there so I can’t find a photo of Martin in the production. Instead I’ve got:
Lucy Fleming in Pride and Prejudice (1967)
Yet Another BBC TV production! Haven’t seen it.
Natalie Ogle in Pride and Prejudice (1980)
Yet ANOTHER Another BBC TV production! Some people love this one best, but I’ve only seen it once and that was years ago, so I have zero memory of Lydia.
Julia Sawalha in Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Probably MY favorite Lydia, but that’s also probably because this is my favorite production. She’s annoying AF in that headstrong way, and NO ONE can beat her line reading of “I WANT TO GO TO BRIGHTON!”
Jena Malone in Pride & Prejudice (2005)
The sad-sackiest production of P&P, with the sad-sackiest Lydia, in my opinion. It’s been too long since I suffered through this one, but could Lydia look more slovenly here?
Perdita Weeks in Lost in Austen (2008)
I need to rewatch this TV miniseries that reboots P&P as it’s one of my faves, and I can’t remember enough about Lydia!
Jenna Coleman in Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
I LOVE this P&P sequel, and Coleman just nails what I think married Lydia would be — still whiny, still totally self-centered, still totally in denial.
Ellie Bamber in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
I seriously don’t remember Lydia BEING in this zombified take on P&P, and she’s a redhead so I really would if she was there at all, so that tells you something. According to my review, “there isn’t much distinguishing amongst all the Bennet sisters (Lydia is there to giggle…”
Who’s your favorite and/or MILFiest Lydia Bennet?
Julia Sahwalia is my favourite Lydia by a country mile.
I wonder if that random search for a MILF Lydia Bennett was trying to figure out Julia Sawalha’s name? Because she was absolutely gorgeous when she played in Lark Rise to Candleford. I just adored Dorcas Lane!
While I think her P&P is my favorite, I have to say that Jenna is absolutely my favorite Lydia. She just brought so much naive pluck and bombastic energy to that part (which IMO, was otherwise miscast apart from Wickham — everyone felt like a pale imitation of themselves).
I warmed up to the Death Comes to Pemberley cast. I agree that Jenna Coleman was perfectly cast. Everyone else…as I said I warmed up to them. It was filled with “I never would’ve thought of X as Y” casting; but even so, ultimately I LOVED that production because the cast had the acting chops to pull it off. And Matthew Goode was just sooo hateful as Wickham.
I LOVE Death Comes to Pemberley! I feel like its such a beautiful production, and so well cast. I hated Pride and Prejudice and Zombies though. I thought the plot was nonsense.
The two gowns on Lydia in those screen shots of the 1980 BBC “Pride and Prejudice “had been used for Harriet in the 1972 BBC “Emma.” Such different characters!!
The 2005 Pride and Prejudice is a let-down with the Bennet sisters’ outfits, barring Jane. Jane is the only one who doesn’t look like she’s poor. I will always love the 1995 production, since it’s the closest to the book.
So much here…! Julia Sawalha is just….awesome!!! Like others have said, I LOVED Jenna Coleman in Death Comes to Pemberley, but I also loved that production overall. P&P and Zombies, I also don’t really remember Lydia per se and need to re-watch. (Did I just write that P&P and Zobmies merits a re-watch???) One show that definitely merits a re-watch is Lost in Austen which I absolutely loved. Re Jenna Malone, she is a very talented actress and I lament when I see her in productions where the costume and makeup department don’t compliment her appearance. I agree with you here that they did her no favors in the ’05 production. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the ’05 (and I don’t know if I’ll ever re-watch it), but I feel like Malone just screamed “American” trying to fit it, but honestly I can’t remember if that was because of her performance or because I knew that she was an American thrown into a British cast. I hate to say it, but based on pictures alone, my favorite costumes are from the non-traditional productions: 1st–Death Comes to Pemberley; 2nd–Lost in Austen; 3rd–P&P and Zombies. Great WCW post!!
Love Julia Sawalha, I can hear her voice just by looking at those photos. I don’t remember much of P&P and Zombies – except for Matt Smith as Collins!
Jenna Coleman looks real good on those photos, but I found Death Comes to Pemberley a little bit boring and I’m all for a good mystery in general. Don’t know why, the magic didn’t happen.
Not a frock flick, but Lydia in the Lizzie Bennet Diaries was a lot more fleshed out and sympathetic than in other versions.
1995 is still my favorite.
I love Julia Sawalha’s talent to overwhelm us with her spirit. She is just such a great actress!
Julia Sawalha deserves a wcw of her own! Have grown up with her as the plutonic ideal of Lydia Bennet, I was shocked when I watch her episode of who do you think you are and heard her talk about how she had to fight for her first few period parts because they told her she didn’t fit as an “English Rose” due to her Jordanian heritage.