Wise Owl is making a new Sky Arts documentary about the Brontë sisters, fronted by Anita Rani.
Anita Rani – The Brontes: Sisters of Disruption (w/t) will examine the impact that Anne, Charlotte and Emily continue to have on millions of readers.
The partly autobiographical film will trace Rani’s relationship with the sisters as she returns home to Bradford to remember the first time she read Jayne Eyre and Wuthering Heights at school.
She’ll also reveal the sense of identification she felt with the sisters, growing up in Bradford in the 1980s and 90s, with the landscape of Haworth and the moors (which Rani calls her “happy place”) on her doorstep.
“These strong, unearthly sisters fed into my psyche and made me think anything was possible. I related to the darkness and tragedy in the Brontës’ lives…they had as much impact on me as Neneh Cherry, The Smiths and Goldie,” she explained.
“In this film I’m going to explore how these women – so full of rage – changed my life, and the world. Growing up, romance wasn’t on the cards. Bollywood felt distant. But Heathcliff…well, he could have been Indian – dark hair, dark features…why would he not be?”
The 1 x 60 minute documentary is produced by Dhivya Kate Chetty and will explore how the work of these ‘literary disruptors’ still feels relevant in 2024 – and how their influence can still be seen today in some of our most popular films and TV series.
“The legacy of the astounding work of Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë continues to reverberate around the world – they were challenging the patriarchy two hundred years ago,” explained Executive Producer Mark Robinson, who heads up the Leeds-based Lime Pictures label.
“The worlds the sisters created have influenced culture across the centuries – from Kate Bush to Taylor Swift, Game of Thrones to Saltburn. As well as looking at how they inspired her, Anita will also discover just what made them so subversive – and very different to the timid image so frequently associated with them.”
Commissioning Editor, Sky, Barbara Lee said:
“I’m really excited about this documentary. The Brontë sisters were the original disruptors of literature. They were uncompromising feminist trailblazers, despite being the unlikeliest of rebels. Bradford born and bred broadcaster and author Anita Rani is the perfect guide, given how passionate she is about the Brontës’ writing, their legacy and their impact on her own life.”
The documentary will air next year.
