Being the Brontës
Martha Kearney, novelist Helen Oyeyemi and journalist Lucy Mangan travel to Haworth Parsonage, the home of Charlotte Brontë and her sisters, Emily and Anne.
Martha Kearney, novelist Helen Oyeyemi and journalist Lucy Mangan travel to Haworth Parsonage, the home of Charlotte Brontë and her sisters, Emily and Anne, to discover the inspiration behind their classic novels Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey.
Just two years before the books were published, prospects for the three unmarried sisters were bleak. Their brother was battling alcoholism, Charlotte was hopelessly in love with a married man, and their father was going blind. But by 1848, they were a literary sensation. To find out how this extraordinary turnaround happened, Martha, Lucy and Helen each immerse themselves in the life of a Brontë sister. From everyday routines at the Parsonage to walks on windswept moors, from harsh schooldays to misadventures as governesses, the trio learn how the Brontës combined literary genius with real-life experience to create some of the best-loved novels in the English language.
On TV
Clips
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The Crow Hill Bog Burst
Duration: 03:01
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Tuberculosis and the Brontës
Duration: 03:25
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The Art of the Brontës
Duration: 03:04
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Being the Brontes
Duration: 01:05
Music Played
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Agnes Obel
Aventine
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Goldfrapp
Alvar
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Agnes Obel
Dorian
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Florence + the Machine
Seven Devils
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Julia Kent
Tourbillon
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Dustin O'Halloran, Maurizio Borgna
Snow + Light
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Agnes Obel
Fuel To Fire
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Martha Kearney |
| Presenter | Lucy Mangan |
| Presenter | Helen Oyeyemi |
| Producer | Linda Sands |
| Director | Linda Sands |
| Series Producer | John Das |
Broadcasts
- Sat 26 Mar 2016 21:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two except Scotland
- Sat 26 Mar 2016 22:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two Scotland
- Thu 31 Mar 2016 00:15ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two except Scotland
- Thu 31 Mar 2016 00:45ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two Scotland
- Thu 14 Apr 2016 02:15
- Fri 15 Jul 2016 23:35ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two except Scotland
- Wed 20 Jun 2018 22:30
- Mon 18 Mar 2019 02:00
- Mon 13 Jan 2020 00:20
- Wed 26 Nov 2025 21:00
Featured in...
The Brontë Sisters
Celebrate the lives and works of Bradford-born authors Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë.
Meet the presenters
Find out more about the presenters of Being the Brontes