Emma Thompson is returning to Jane Austen territory with “Becoming Meg Dashwood,” an Audible original scheduled for release on 6 October 2025, three decades after her Oscar-winning 1995 screenplay of “Sense and Sensibility.” The actor-writer will voice an adult Margaret Dashwood and serve as executive producer, reuniting with Imelda Staunton, who lends her celebrated wit to Mrs Jennings.
Rebecca Humphries’ script follows Margaret as she escapes cottage respectability for London’s underground salons, meeting characters played by Naomi Ackie, Erin Doherty, Jessica Gunning and Liz Carr; Greg Wise, Thompson’s partner on and off screen, appears as Dr Keats.
Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan supplies an electronic-inflected score, while director Jo Tyabji builds what Audible bills as a “riotous, rebellious period drama about female friendship, sexuality and liberation.” Thompson said the narrative “takes us from Austen’s world into the hidden parts of women’s lives … giving one of her characters a future and a big, unexpected voice.”
The project lands during celebrations marking Austen’s 250th birthday and amid a wave of heritage IP for headphones: Audible’s multilingual “Pride and Prejudice” and several screen remakes are queued for release through 2025. Publishers and screen guilds have increasingly turned to audio fiction as the global podcast audience climbs toward 584 million listeners this year, pushing the market’s value near $40 billion.
Commercial momentum contrasts with shrinking public-service output; a February analysis found BBC radio drama hours have more than halved since 2018, prompting warnings over lost training grounds for writers. Thompson’s star power gives “Becoming Meg Dashwood” a launchpad that may draw fresh ears to long-form narrative audio and underscores how streaming giants are stepping into space vacated by traditional broadcasters.
