Trivia / Jane Eyre (1973)

• Actor-Shared Background: Sorcha Cusack, much like Jane studied French language at school and became a teacher for a while.
• The Cast Show Off: Mr. Rochester is said to be a good singer according to the novel, and Michael Jayston is one of the few Mr. Rochester actors who gets to sing.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Michael Jayston once revealed in an audio interview that his performance of this version is one of his favorite moments of all his television roles. He was surprised that he received few hundred letters from fans after the show was finished.
• Dawson Casting: Sorcha Cusack was 24, six years older than Jane.
• Inspiration for the Work: According to Michael Jayston on his latest interview about this show, the reason why he managed to play as a gypsy is because he used to play as gay characters when he was in theater school before. He also admitted that he already played as Mr. Rochester there.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Averted. The 1973 version didn't see an official release for more than three decades until mid-2000's. Back then, the only way to see it was on BBC around 70s and through pirated VHS copies of North American versions recorded in the 1980s. However, a DVD copy was announced and released!
• Never Work with Children or Animals: Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston revealed on the latest interview that the Irish Wolfhound who portrayed Pilot was easily distracted and likes to stare at the camera. In the end, the crew resorted in giving him dog treats to behave in some scenes.
• Missing Episode: For some reason, the first part of 1973 version was never aired in the US. That episode is available in DVD or digital releases.
• Role Reprise: Anna Korwin, the actress who played as Sophie in the 1970 film adaptation returns as the same character in this version.
• Romance on the Set: Michael Jayston, the actor of Mr. Rochester, revealed in some interviews that during production, he was attracted to Sorcha Cusack, the actress of Jane. He decided to make the tension jokey and remain Better as Friends instead.