Emma

Rich, independent and kind spirited, Emma Woodhouse has no need to marry herself but nothing delights her more than matchmaking those around her. Once she married off her close companions, she alights upon the pretty Harriet Smith to fashion into her new playmate. She persuades Harriet that she is too good for her suitor, the farmer Robert Martin, and encourages her to set her sights higher.

Emma continues her attempts to marry off Harriet and Mr Elton. Although uninterested in marriage herself, she is intrigued by the mysterious and elusive Frank Churchill, whom she hopes to meet for the first time at a village Christmas party. Frank does not arrive, but instead Emma becomes the subject of unwanted and embarrassing attention from Mr Elton.

Emma teases Mr Knightley about Jane, but he remains tight-lipped. Meanwhile, Frank and Emma plan a ball, and Emma wonders whether she might be in love with him. Mr Knightley suggests a day trip to Box Hill for a change of scene and some temporary escape. He also tells Emma that he suspects Frank and Jane are secretly in love.

What was intended as a day of fun turns into a day of agony for everyone on the Box Hill excursion. Egged on by Frank, Emma behaves very badly, insulting Miss Bates. When Frank’s controlling Aunt dies, the Westons expect him to propose to Emma – but his actions set in motion a chain of events that both shock Emma and make her realise something that has been in plain sight all along.