Regency House Party

Tying in with the 8-part prime time Channel 4 series, REGENCY HOUSE PARTY will follow 5 men and 5 women as they meet, flirt and court within the same strict protocols as Jane Austen's heroes and heroines, e.g. all women must be chaperoned, a woman should never encourage a man, a man should never touch a young lady, etc.

Each participant will be designated a role and an income, which will dictate their social standing - although at any point this could change and one of the poorer guests could inherit a fortune, or a rich one suffer a crippling debt - and each chapter of the book will focus on a particular character or couple.

The houseguests will take part in popular pastimes of the era: attending a public dissection, amateur dramatics, fencing and, of course, dressing up and attending balls.

They will also hopefully manage to find a suitable marriage partner, whose wealth and social standing will enhance their own.

There is a website at: www.regencyparty.co.uk