Wives and Daughters is a 1999 four part BBC serial adapted from the novel Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story by Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell. The serial's credits state that it is a joint production of the BBC and WGBH Boston, an American public broadcast station.
It focuses on Molly Gibson (Justine Waddell), the daughter of the town doctor, and the changes that occur in her life after her widowed father chooses to remarry. The union brings into her once-quiet life an ever-proper stepmother (Francesca Annis) and flirtatious stepsister, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes), while a friendship with the local squire brings about an unexpected romance.
Written by Andrew Davies and directed by Nicholas Renton, the programme also features Sir Michael Gambon, Penelope Wilton, Bill Paterson and Rosamund Pike.
Levens Hall in Kendal was one of the locations used for the film. It was used as the Hamley’s family estate. Dyrham Park in South Gloucestershire was also used for some of the outdoor shots; the National Trust property was closed to the public for three days while these scenes were shot.