Anita Rani presents this exploration of the Brontë sisters and their enduring influence in a new Sky Arts documentary from Wise Owl Films.
Anita Rani – The Brontës: Sisters of Disruption (w/t) will look at the impact Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë have had on millions of readers across the centuries, including Anita.
Partly autobiographical, this new programme traces Anita’s relationship with the Brontës, as she heads back to Bradford to recall the first time she read Jayne Eyre and Wuthering Heights at school. Anita also reveals the sense of identification she felt with the sisters, growing up in Bradford in the 1980s and 90s, with the stunning landscape of Haworth and the moors (which Anita calls her “happy place”) on her doorstep.
In this 1 x 60 documentary, produced by Dhivya Kate Chetty, Anita meets fellow fans and literary and historical experts as she explores just how and why these sisters became ground-breaking ‘literary disruptors’ whose work still feels relevant in 2024 - and whose influence can still be seen today in some of our most popular films and TV series.
Executive producer Mark Robinson said: “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.
“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.”
Anita Rani said: “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.”
“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?”
Anita Rani – The Brontës: Sisters of Disruption is a 1 x 60 minute documentary for Sky Arts, commissioned by Barbara Lee, Commissioning Editor for Sky Arts, produced and directed for Wise Owl Films by Dhivya Kate Chetty with Mark Robinson as Executive Producer. Wise Owl Films is part of All3Media.
Anita Rani – The Brontës: Sisters of Disruption will air on Sky Arts and Freeview next year.