The screenplay was written by Andrew Davies, who revealed that the aim of the series was to make viewers forget Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility.

Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield starred as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who go on "a voyage of burgeoning sexual and romantic discovery".

Sense and Sensibility garnered mostly positive reviews from television critics, while the cast and crew earned several award nominations for their work.

While Mrs. Dashwood hopes they will become engaged, Fanny informs her that his mother will not approve the match as she wants Edward to marry a woman who is richer or more socially prominent.

Mrs. Dashwood receives a letter from her cousin Sir John Middleton offering her a small cottage on his estate, Barton Park in Devonshire.

During a welcome dinner at Barton Park Sir John introduces the Dashwoods to his wife, Lady Middleton, her mother, Mrs. Jennings, and their family friend, Colonel Brandon.

[2] The writer later expressed his delight at adapting the novel during an interview with Paul Carey from the Western Mail, calling Austen his "favourite novelist".

[5] Davies told Carey and Claire Hill from the Western Mail that he wanted "to do justice" to Willoughby's back story, saying that it is "quite interesting and steamy stuff like a lot of underage sex that goes on and is just talked about.

[7] The writer noted that the series was "more overtly sexual" than previous adaptations of Austen's works and added, "The novel is as much about sex and money as social conventions.

"[8] Davies also included a duel between Colonel Brandon and Willoughby in his screenplay, an event that was absent from Lee's film, but is mentioned in the original novel.

[5] Davies believed that Lee's film did not overcome "the problem of the guys who get the girls not seeming quite good enough", and set out to try to find a way of making them into heroes in his script.

[7] He said that Austen should have made the reader feel that Edward was worthy of Elinor and explained how Marianne falls in love with Colonel Brandon, after having her heart broken by Willoughby.

[7] Morahan told The Daily Telegraph's Jasper Rees that she deliberately chose not to watch the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility or think about Emma Thompson's portrayal of the character.

[15] Describing his character, Cooper said "The way I tried to persuade myself he wasn't too bad was that he's a 25-year-old young guy and he genuinely falls in love with Marianne – he's not just doing it for one moment in time.

The owners of Blackpool Mill, Sir Hugh and Lady Stucley, were contacted in February 2007 by the BBC who inquired about the possibility of filming there.

[23] Caroline Gammell from The Daily Telegraph reported that "camera crews, production assistants, directors and actors swarmed over Blackpool Mill, turning the rustic four-bedroom home into the romantic hub of Jane Austen's novel.

Set designers took the cottage more firmly into the 19th century, adding a porch at the front as well as dormer windows, fake shutters and an extra chimney.

[24] Cooper told The Birmingham Post's Georgina Rodgers that the bad weather affected his first scene, in which Willoughby carries an injured Marianne home.

[9][31] During an interview for the drama's BBC Online website, Fordham revealed that they tried to find references from every area, including eighteenth-century cartoons.

[31] Fordham revealed that with Marianne being younger and a "wild child", her wardrobe contains a lot of buttercup yellows, which suited Wakefield's complexion and her character's freshness.

[31] Willoughby's wardrobe was designed to reflect his "poetic" and "fashionable" nature, while Fordham believed Edward was more suited to the eighteenth-century rural colours.

"[9] Morrissey commented that the period costumes were "slightly uncomfortable" for modern life, but as soon as the cast were riding horses or walking across fields, they realised why they were made that way.

"[33] She also explained that some of the male actors wore wigs because the men in those days would have had a lot more volume to their hair, whereas the modern styles tend to be shorter and clippered.

"[42] Lenny Ann Low from The Sydney Morning Herald stated, "The locations, costumes and acting are excellent, with a particularly striking use of light – cold and grey skies foretelling doom through to rich candlelight signalling new passions.

"[43] The New York Times critic Ginia Bellafante said, "There's nothing glaringly wrong with this new Sense and Sensibility, the last in Masterpiece's winter-long homage to Austen; it is both lush and tidy.

"[44] Nancy Banks-Smith from The Guardian called Sense and Sensibility "a charmingly domestic and spontaneous treatment of the story", adding that it had become "a younger sister" of Lee's 1995 film.

[45] Variety's Brian Lowry commented, "this latest Sense & Sensibility has done a splendid job casting its various roles, despite an inevitable wattage deficit compared with the most recent theatrical version.

Davies and director John Alexander have also taken some liberties by crafting scenes of the men together (something Austen herself never did) – having the steely Brandon, for example, pull Willoughby aside to question his intentions toward Marianne.

Featuring a top-drawer cast, the filmmakers create several delicate moments – from Willoughby's elegant seduction of Marianne to the stoic Elinor's pining for the elusive Edward who, as played by Stevens, adorably stammers in a Hugh Grant-like way.

"[47] Davies enjoyed Morahan's "luminous" performance as Elinor, as well as Williams and Morrissey's turns as Sir John and Colonel Brandon respectively, although she thought the opening scene was "misconceived".