Colin Firth reveals truth about iconic wet shirt TV scene from classic miniseries

A beloved British actor has spoken out about his iconic wet shirt scene, which has paved the way for other copycat TV moments.

Long before the bodice-ripping antics of Bridgerton, there was Colin Firth emerging wet-shirted from a lake in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride And Prejudice.

The famed encounter saw Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle) getting hot and bothered at the sight of the brooding Mr Darcy (Firth) in his damp undergarments.

It also marked a turning point for Jane Austen adaptations, which had previously relied on chaste looks and witty repartee for romantic tension.

That two-minute scene has become part of TV folklore, leading to Firth’s now infamous white shirt selling at auction for $50,000 last year.

Colin First stars in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride And Prejudice

Only, according to Firth, it never actually happened. Talking about his sexy stint as Mr Darcy, the British actor revealed he never went swimming in his britches and undershirt. And the perceived Austen peepshow was all down to the magic of television (and the wishful thinking of viewers).

“The shirt was barely soggy or clingy or any of the things it’s mythologised to be,” a bemused Firth has said.

“They have even got me coming out of a lake, which I know I never did, and that got voted the most memorable moment in television history: the thing that never happened!”

Nonetheless, the wet shirt device was used again in season two of Bridgerton when Jonathan Bailey’s character paraded his rippling muscles after an icy dip.

Jonathan Bailey re-enacts the famous wet shirt scene in Bridgerton. Picture: Netflix

And Firth himself would pay homage to the career-making scene in Love Actually, when his lovelorn character falls for his Portuguese maid after she (and he) dive into a lake to save his manuscript.

The 1995 retelling of Jane Austen’s famed novel proved period dramas could be sexy and draw a crowd, inspiring author Helen Fielding to pen her own adaptation of Pride And Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary – which would, of course, also feature Firth as a modern Mark Darcy when adapted for the screen.

Having already inspired countless film and television series – the best of which being the 1940 Oscar-winning version starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, and 2005’s coupling of Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen – producers are taking the plunge on Pride And Prejudice again.

Firth starred in the Bridget Jones films opposite Renée Zellweger. Picture: Universal

The actor played a modern day Mr Darcy in the franchise. Picture: Universal

This time, Everything I Know About Love author and one-time Made In Chelsea story producer Dolly Alderton is bringing her unique perspective to Austen’s 1813 novel with Emma Corrin (who won a Golden Globe playing a young Princess Diana in The Crown) as Elizabeth and Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden as the new Darcy. Rounding out the cast is Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as the social-climbing Mrs Bennet.

“Once in a generation, a group of people get to retell this wonderful story and I feel very lucky that I get to be part of it,” Alderton said.

“Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice is the blueprint for romantic comedy – it has been a joy to delve back into its pages to find both familiar and fresh ways of bringing this beloved book to life.”

Anne Hathaway stars in the 2007 movie Becoming Jane, which depicts the early life of British author Jane Austen. Picture: Buena Vista

Pride And Prejudice: A New Musical is the musical adaptation of the romantic comedy. Picture: Tubi

Before the latest incarnation of Elizabeth and Darcy’s romance hits the screen, why not dive into these other films inspired by Austen’s work and life, which are all available to stream for free on Tubi.

TV series Austentatious takes Austen’s famed heroines and reimagines them as modern women. Picture: Tubi

Becoming Jane – In this romanticised biopic about the famed author, Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) finds inspiration for Pride And Prejudice in her own life on the Regency dating scene.

Pride And Prejudice: A New Musical – An adaptation for the stage by Tony-nominee Paul Gordon (who previously brought Jane Eyre to Broadway) sets the comedy of manners to a musical score.

Austentatious –This TV series takes Austen’s most famed heroines and reimagines them as modern women in a Sex And The City-style friendship circle. Here Elizabeth is a real estate agent and Emma Woodhouse a divorce lawyer.

All three films now streaming on Tubi

Originally published as Colin Firth reveals truth about iconic wet shirt TV scene from classic miniseries