Overview

• Netflix has officially confirmed that the famed scene of Mr Darcy emerging from a lake will be omitted from its forthcoming six-episode Pride & Prejudice remake.
• Show executives cited contemporary concerns over objectifying male characters as the reason for cutting the wet-shirt sequence.
• The announcement has prompted strong reactions from fans who regard the Colin Firth moment as a defining cultural touchstone of the 1995 BBC adaptation.
• The series is penned by Dolly Alderton and will feature Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennet under Euros Lyn’s direction.
• The original lake scene, absent from Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, topped a 2013 poll of favourite TV moments and saw Colin Firth’s shirt sell for £20,000 at auction in 2024.