Sally Hawkins stars as the protagonist Anne Elliot, while Rupert Penry-Jones plays Captain Frederick Wentworth.

His lawyer proposes that the family estate, Kellynch Hall, be leased to Admiral Croft as a source of income, but middle daughter Anne Elliot is distraught at the prospect of having to abandon her childhood home.

Wentworth was then penniless and without a ship at the outset of a dangerous career, and the union was discouraged by Sir Walter and Anne's surrogate mother, Lady Russell, who convinced her to break off the engagement.

Years later, Anne is seemingly past marriageable age, while Wentworth, now risen in rank and wealthy from prize money, is eager to find a wife.

Wentworth intends to travel to Lyme to visit his comrades Captains Harville and Benwick; the Musgroves and Anne go as well.

In Lyme, Benwick has been inconsolable since the death of his fiancée (Harville's sister) while he was at the Cape and spends his days reading poetry and lamenting his loss.

In a dangerous demonstration of steadfastness, Louisa jumps from the Cobb seawall towards Wentworth, slipping and striking her head.

Anne joins her father and sister in Bath, where they have been receiving the attentions of William Elliot, a cousin who is the heir presumptive to Sir Walter's estate and baronetcy.

Wentworth slips away and subsequently writes a note for Anne, confessing his long-held love and his desire to marry her.

On 10 November 2005, The Guardian's Julia Day reported ITV controller of drama, Nick Elliott, had ordered three new adaptations of Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

"[2] Screenwriter Simon Burke created the convention of a diary to aide the audience in understanding the intense feelings of loss the outwardly reserved Anne Elliot was going through.

This, coupled with director Adrian Shergold having Anne occasionally break the Fourth wall lent a sense of intimacy between the audience and the lead character, and with Jane Austen.

[4] Elliott revealed that he had deliberately shied away from ordering adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility to focus on Austen's lesser known works.

[2] Each of the three productions created during the Jane Austen Season were made by a different company, cast and director, so they each had "a distinct look".

[5] Karen Price from the Western Mail reported ITV had promised the "cream of British acting talent", while they were casting the three adaptations.

"[7] On 17 September 2006, the Western Mail's Nathan Bevan revealed that Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones had joined the cast as Captain Wentworth.

The actor added that he enjoyed playing Wentworth "because, beyond his social grace and charm, there's a bitterness and sadness because the love of his life, Anne Elliot, rejected him.

"[4] Galer designed a jacket for Hawkins to wear as Anne using a 19th-century shawl, which she mounted and patched together with a cross stitch.

[11] She used hand loom fabric from India and the Sri Lanakan crafted Beeralu lace to decorate some of the garments.

[14] Galer admitted that while it was difficult to part with them, it was time to move on and she hoped they had been bought because of their association with the Austen films.

I suppose the one outfit that did sell that I would've been happy if it hadn't was the Harris tweed jacket and dress worn by Sally Hawkins when she played Anne Elliot in Persuasion.

Producer David Snodin explained, "Bringing Adrian on board is a statement in itself because he is not known for doing conventional versions of the classics.

"[30] David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle expressed strong dissatisfaction with the adaptation, especially when compared to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice series and the 1996 production of Emma.

Variety noted Persuasion "offers an appealing heroine, with Hawkins proving especially vulnerable as the passive Anne, who again risks letting a lifetime of happiness slip away from her.

Boland continued, "She looked suitably guarded and gauche at the outset but then chose, and was allowed, to become increasingly gormless, so that long before the end you were left wondering what on earth Captain Wentworth had ever seen in this open-mouthed, inarticulate eejit.