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Jane Austen fan says she's still 'obsessed' 11 years on

BBC Sophie Andrews stands outside in her regency outfit and looks at the camera, smiling. She has dark brown curly hair, with two strands of ringlets framing her face and the rest of her hair in an up-do underneath a straw bonnet which has a pale blue ribbon rim and blue feathers sticking out the top. Sophie holds a parasol made of white lace. She is wearing a brown stone necklace with a turquoise blue dress, which has three quarter length sleeves and a brown ribbon sash around her waist. The background is blurred but shows trees and hedging surrounding a pale beige cobbled area of road.BBC
This year marks 250 years since Austen was born

It's been almost a decade since Sophie Andrews shared her love for author Jane Austen with the world in a documentary.

In 2017, the 27-year-old from Tilehurst appeared in BBC One's My Friend Jane, having become popular for her blog Laughing With Lizzie and founding the Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society.

Since then she's written a book, Be More Jane, and continues to don Regency-era gowns and discuss her passion for the writer.

With 2025 marking 250 years since Austen was born, Ms Andrews has been talking to BBC Radio Berkshire about why the author remains relevant to her readers.

'Yep, I'm obsessed'

The self-proclaimed superfan got into Regency clothing as a teenager, having been inspired after reading Pride and Prejudice at school.

Ms Andrews first read the book as a nine-year-old and watched the 2005 film version - but it wasn't until she was 16 she started to explore the books more.

"I was always interested in history and how everything went on back then, from the social customs to the clothing and so I think when I read Pride and Prejudice something just clicked," she explained.

"Everything from the era, the way Jane Austen wrote her novels - the characters, the story, the wit. Something inside me was like 'yep, I'm obsessed'.

"Mum thought it was a phase, but it's still going 11 years later."

A younger Ms Andrews during the filming of the documentary My Friend Jane. She looks at the camera, standing outside of a red brick property with white framed windows and there are ficus plants in terracotta pots behind her. Ms Andrews wears her brown hair in a curly up do with ringlet strands framing her face. She has an ornate diamante necklace on and wears a dark blue short sleeved dress with a white pineapple print on the fabric and white long gloves. She is holding an open fan, which is also a deep blue with an ornate pattern printed on it in front of her stomach.
Sophie Andrews appeared in the BBC One documentary My Friend Jane in 2017

Ms Andrews arrived to the radio station dressed in full Regency-era clothing, explaining the multiple layers involved in dressing authentically - from the chemise to the stays, petticoats and accessories.

She continued: "I tried on my first outfit when I was 18 and I can still remember getting that all together and it was very exciting.

"I think there's a misconception it isn't comfortable, especially as soon as you say corset, but honestly the Regency corsets are fine."

Sophie Andrews talks to BBC Radio Berkshire's Kirsten O'Brien about keeping Jane Austen-era fashion alive

Ms Andrews has a friend who makes her outfits for her, but also said there is a lot to be found online.

As for why she thinks people keep going back to read Austen's work, Ms Andrews said: "She paints such a brilliant picture of both Regency England and everyday life.

"You can really recognise a lot of characters. I know plenty of Lydia Bennet's and I'm sure we all know a Lady Catherine who likes to interfere a little bit too much.

"I think that is why she has endured so much and why she speaks to people."

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