The 'Tom Jones' Premiere Offers a Delightful, Frothy Romance

The new Tom Jones mini-series romps into our lives. Written by Gwyneth Hughes (Miss Austen Regrets) and directed by Georgia Parris, its prettiness, gorgeous rural settings, great clothes, and good-looking leads are enchanting. It’s a light-hearted, fast-paced, and entertaining adaptation of Henry Fielding’s picaresque novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (1749), with some unexpected emotional moments to enrich the comedy.

Tom: Can a man ever be a gentleman if he doesn’t know who his father is?
Aunt Bridget: Kindness and good conduct make a true gentleman. Look forward!

Squire Allworthy (James Fleet) is just what his name suggests; a tolerant magistrate, beloved by his servants, a childless widower who married for love (rare in this era), living a contented life at Paradise Hall with his sister Bridget (Felicity Montagu). Returning from a trip, he finds a newborn baby in his bed. His housekeeper offers to leave the baby at the church, the standard move, but to everyone’s astonishment, the Squire orders her to find a wet nurse. The mother is Jenny Jones (Isobelle Molloy), servant to the village schoolteacher, a bookish girl who refuses to name the father, although it’s not her employer. He disappears from the story (probably).