Emma Thompson writes and stars in Ang Lee's glorious Austen adaptation. Year: 1995. Certificate: u. Watch now on BBC iPlayer. Watch now on Netflix. Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet star as Jane Austen's plucky Dashwood sisters in this triumphant period drama. Although it was to be the making of Winslet, the true star of this - the first film adaptation of Jane Austen's first published novel - is Emma Thompson's multi-award-winning screenplay. The vibrant dialogue positively dances from the lips of the cast, while the story romps home at a delightful gallop. Austen would have been proud.

Taiwanese-American Ang Lee was, perhaps, an unusual choice for director. It was his first full English-language film, and he was not a proclaimed Austen fan. And while hiring him was a calculated decision to bring a fresh vision to familiar material, his previous films (Eat Drink Man Woman, 1994, and The Wedding Banquet, 1993) had already demonstrated his knack for portraying family drama without cloying sentiment - and the end result is a far cry from previous, twee TV adaptations of Austen's debut novel. Though it was a long time coming (Thompson spent years on the adaptation), this vibrant, sharp and hugely entertaining film is proof that patience is rewarded.

After four years of work, a computer glitch caused Thompson to lose the entire first draft. Luckily, her friend and techno whizz Stephen Fry came to her rescue, and helped to restore the file. Not only was Thompson showered with prizes (Oscars, Golden Globes etc), but, just like her on-screen heroine, Elinor, she was also introduced to the man who was to become her husband, Greg Wise (who played Mr Willoughby).

Thompson, however, later revealed that he initially had designs on her co-star, Kate Winslet. She also later reflected that writing the adaptation helped her through a particularly dark bout of depression. 'The only thing I could do was write. I used to crawl from the bedroom to the computer and just sit and write, and then I was all right... Sense And Sensibility really saved me from going under.' Note: the film leaves Netflix on 15 February. (130 minutes).

Definitive adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 classic novel starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Watch now on ITVX Premium. Who can forget Colin Firth's Mr Darcy emerging from a lake, his wet shirt clinging to his chest and his dark hair a tangled mess, in this BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's most beloved book?. That moment may have turned Firth into a sex symbol - and transformed the whole period drama genre -  but it's far from the only thing to recommend this brilliant mini-series, which also stars Jennifer Ehle, who won a BAFTA for her performance as the strong-minded heroine Elizabeth Bennet.

When it first aired, this adaptation from prolific screenwriter Andrew Davies (Sanditon, Bridget Jones's Diary, Bleak House) drew in 10 million viewers, who swooned over the actors and Davies' racy dialogue and admired the empire-line dresses. Most would agree that it can't be bettered but, if you're a fan of Joe Wright's 2005 movie, it's on iPlayer until 10 February. (Six episodes). Gwyneth Paltrow is on glowing form at the centre of this celebrated Austen adaptation.

Year: 1996. Watch now on Paramount+. Gwyneth Paltrow is the matchmaker of the title, constantly meddling in the affairs of others but failing to spot her own feelings in matters of the heart and nearly fluffing her chance with Mr Right. At the time of release, Paltrow received a lot of attention for her English accent as the pleasant but pushy Emma Woodhouse. It was to be the first in a series of plummy roles for the American star and understandably so; she's on glowing form in the lead.

The reliably excellent Toni Collette plays one of Emma's 'lucky' pals in a film that also picked up two Oscar nominations, for costume and music - and took home the gong for the latter. The strong cast also includes Alan Cumming, Ewan McGregor, Juliet Stevenson and Jeremy Northam as Emma's Mr Right - Mr Knightley. Look out for Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones as a maid, too... (121 minutes). BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, which portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters.

Year: 2008. Certificate: 15. Andrew Davies brings Jane Austen's first novel (of 1811) to life in a sumptuous three-parter, featuring then-rising stars Charity Wakefield (who has since starred in Sky's Bounty Hunters and The Great) and Hattie Morahan (Hijack, Fool Me Once) as Marianne and Elinor Dashwood . As the man responsible for the iconic moment involving Colin Firth's soggy Mr Darcy in 1995's Pride And Prejudice, Davies is renowned for pouring sauce on the meat of literary classics - and he's done it again (though not to excess). The opening scene involves a fireside seduction, while the sight of the dashing Edward Ferrars (Dan Stevens) chopping wood in the rain helped give him a pin-up reputation he has since diversified with darker, more offbeat roles (see Legion, Gaslit) .