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Octavia
Approx. run time	Unknown
Genre	Comedy/drama
Written by	Jilly Cooper (novel) Jonathan Harvey
Produced by	Rob Pursey Touchpaper Television
Starring	Tamsin Egerton
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Original channel	ITV
Release date	2008

Octavia is an upcoming ITV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name. The screenplay has been written by Jonathan Harvey.^[1] Octavia is set in Britain during the 1970s.^[2]

Production began on 17 September 2007, in London.^[3] Despite this, as of Spring 2009, it is yet to be shown. According to a Broadcast Now article, this is because, as a consequence of the recession, ITV have put many of their dramas 'on ice'.^[4] The Guardian reported that Octavia does not have a transmission slot for 2009.^[5]

Jilly Cooper is due to make a cameo appearance as a guest at a party.^[6]

Cast

• Tamsin Egerton as Octavia Brennan
• Patrick Baladi as Jeremy West
• Richard Coyle as Gareth Llewellyn
• Tom McKay as Xander Brennan
• Alice Glover as Lorna Hamilton
• Joel Fry as Charlie Mancini

Plot summary

Octavia Brennan is a beautiful yet flawed young woman, living the high life in 1970s London. Though she is deeply flirtatious and has, by her own admission, slept with many men, she has never found happiness with any of them.

After bumping into an old school friend, Gussie, and falling for her fiancé, Jeremy, Octavia is invited to spend the weekend with them on their canal boat. Characteristically, she convinces herself that Jeremy cannot possibly have real affection for the overweight and clumsy Gussie, and she is determined to win Jeremy by the end of the weekend. But when Jeremy invites Welsh firebrand Gareth Llewllyn along for the ride, Octavia finds her plans disrupted in more ways than one.

Octavia is one of six romances Jilly Cooper wrote early on in her career, before she found wider success with the Rutshire Chronicles. The others are Bella, Harriet, Imogen, Prudence and Emily.

Notes

1. ^ Coming Up thecustard.tv
2. ^ Conlan, Tara ITV rides high with Cooper, The Guardian (19 July 2007)
3. ^ TV PRODUCTION EVENTS - NEW LISTING, myentertainmentworld.com
4. ^ Broadcast Now article (February 2009)
5. ^ Guardian article (February 2009)
6. ^ Jilly Cooper official webpage (December 2007)