Jane Tranter Calls For “Stories That Change The Lack Of Empathy In Our World” & Reveals How James Gandolfini Influenced Bad Wolf

Jane Tranter urged television makers to tell stories that encourage empathy, arguing that dramas about people being accepted for who they are remain important. She cited a farmer in his seventies who related to Mary, the overlooked Bennet sister, as an example of a story reaching beyond its expected audience.

Tranter’s BBC adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s novel follows Mary beyond the events of *Pride and Prejudice*, with a three-part Christmas special ordered. She also said producers should find ways to make ambitious dramas despite funding pressures, and recalled that James Gandolfini’s death delayed *The Night Of* before John Turturro took over his role; the experience helped shape her thinking about building Bad Wolf in Wales.