Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy wet shirt scene ‘wasn’t meant to be sexy’

Colin Firth's wet shirt scene in the TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was not intended to be sexy, says screenwriter Andrew Davies.

Colin Firth’s wet shirt scene from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was never intended to be sexy, the show’s screenwriter has revealed.

The actor sealed his place in the hearts of millions in the 1995 TV series when his character, Mr Darcy, went swimming fully clothed and emerged soaking wet.

But despite it being regarded as one of TV’s best-remembered moments, Andrew Davies, the scene’s creator, insisted it was not “about trying to create a sexy iconic shot”.

“It wasn’t supposed to be sexy in any particular way, really,” he said at an event at Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire, southern England, marking the series’ 30th anniversary.

“I just had this idea because I was continually trying to think, ‘What’s Darcy feeling?’ Let’s keep the audience parallel with him in a way.

“At this time, he’s been in London hosting a rather boring house party with stuffy bores and snobs, and he’s coming back to Pemberley to host another house party in his country house, with the same bloody people.

“He must have been so glad to get a day of his own where nobody’s making any demands on him. It is a hot summer’s day, and he arrives at his house, and he sees his lake, and he thinks, ‘There’s my lake. I know what I would like to do. I would like to just take everything off and plunge into the cool water and forget about everything, except the fact that I’m alive.’”

Script editor Susie Conklin said the writers were aware Mr Darcy was “handsome and those shirts look fabulous”.

Queen Camilla recently referenced the “infamous” lake scene during a visit to the third annual Queen’s Reading Room Festival at Chatsworth House.

She joked to the chairman of the Chatsworth House trust that he might be persuaded to recreate the scene at the festival to “add to the excitement of the day”.

In the scene, as Darcy emerges from the lake and, while walking back to the house, runs into Elizabeth Bennet.

In Davies’ original script, Darcy was supposed to be fully naked when he plunged into the lake.

After a back and forth between Davies and producer Sue Birtwistle, it was decided that it would be more “amusing and interesting” to have him fully clothed.

Conklin believed it would be better if the viewer was thinking about the interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth, rather than about Darcy being naked.

“It wasn’t about trying to create a sexy iconic shot from her point of view either. If the shirt is on, then you aren’t thinking about ‘There’s a naked Darcy.’

“You are just thinking that he’s undressed in terms of how he’s ever been seen. Then it is amusing and interesting that they are both caught off guard.

“We definitely thought he’s our hero, he’s handsome, and those shirts are so fabulous. He’s going to look gorgeous.

“It wasn’t ever crafted as a sexy scene. It was just that it would be wonderful for you to get a sense of him being him and that release.”

When talking about the conversation between Darcy and Elizabeth, Davies said: “I was thinking mostly about how funny it was that they are both too well-bred to mention the fact that he’s dripping wet.”

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