LONDON (AP) — Ellie Potts goes dancing with her friends most weeks. They don’t put on the latest Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, though — they much prefer English country dances that were popular more than 200 years ago.
As the music starts, about two dozen men and women curtsy and bow, extend a gloved hand to their partner, before dancing in circles or skipping in elaborate patterns around each other.
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Ellie Potts, right, a member of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, practices dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Chris Oswald, chair of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, holds up a period costume he made during a dance practice session of Hampshire Regency Dancers in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Kate Lobb, a member of the Hampshire Regency Dancers and a tailor, shows a regency-era costume she made during a dance practice session of Hampshire Regency Dancers in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Like many of her fellow Hampshire Regency Dancers, Potts is a devotee of Jane Austen and all things from the Regency period. Not only have they studied the books and watched all the screen adaptations — they also research the music, make their own period dresses, and immerse themselves in dances Austen and her characters would have enjoyed in centuries past.
“I’ve been interested in Jane Austen since I was about 8 or 9,” said Potts, 25. “I mainly joined (the dance group) so I can have balls and things to go to in my costumes, but I really got into it. I’ve been surprised how much I enjoy the dancing.”
There’s no shortage of grand costumed balls and historical dancing this year, which marks the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. This weekend, thousands of fans who call themselves “Janeites” are descending on the city of Bath for a 10-day festival celebrating the beloved author of “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.”
The highlight is a Regency costumed promenade on Saturday, where some 2,000 people in their finest bonnets, bows and costumes will parade through the streets of Bath. Organizers say the extravaganza holds the Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes.”
Bonny Wise, from Indiana, is attending her sixth Jane Austen festival in Bath. This time she’s bringing four period dresses she made, and will lead a tour group of 25 Austen enthusiasts from all over the United States.
“I started planning a tour four years ago, when I realized this was a big year for Jane,” said Wise, 69. She credited the 1995 adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility” with sparking her obsession.
“That movie just opened up a whole new world for me,” she said. “You start with the books, the movies, then you start getting into the hats, the tea, the manners … one thing just led to another.”
Wise said she loves the wit, humor and social observations in Austen’s books. She also finds the author’s own life story inspiring.
“I admire Jane and what she managed as a woman in that era, her perseverance and her process of becoming an author,” she said.
The Jane Austen Society of North America, the world’s largest organization devoted to the author, says it has seen a recent influx of younger fans, though most of its members — 5,000 to date — skew older.
“We’re growing all the time because Jane Austen is timeless,” said Mary Mintz, the group’s president. “We have members from Japan, India. They come from every continent except Antarctica.”
Many festival-goers will be making a pilgrimage to Steventon, the small village in rural Hampshire, southern England, where Austen was born in 1775.
The author lived in Bath, a fashionable spa town in the 18th and 19th centuries, for five years. Two of her novels, “Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey,” feature scenes set in the World Heritage city.
Bath is also the filming location for parts of “Bridgerton,” Netflix’s wildly popular modern take on period drama based loosely on the Regency period, the decade when the future King George IV stood in as prince regent because his father was deemed unfit to rule due to mental illness.
Thanks to the show, Austen and Regency style — think romantic flowing gowns, elegant ballrooms and high society soirees — have become trendy for a new generation.
“I think Jane Austen is on the rise,” Potts said. “She’s definitely become more popular since ‘Bridgerton’.”
In a church hall in Winchester, a few streets away from where Austen was buried, the Hampshire Regency Dancers gather weekly to practice for the many performances they’re staging this year in honor of the author.
The group selects dances that appear in screen adaptations of Austen’s novels, and members go to painstaking detail to ensure their costumes, down to the buttons and stitching, are authentic looking.
“We go to a lot of trouble to get things as close to the original as possible,” said Chris Oswald, a retired lawyer who now chairs the group. “For me it’s about getting a better understanding of what life was like then, and in the process of doing that getting a better understanding of Jane Austen herself.”
Oswald is passionate about his group’s showcases in Hampshire, or what he jokingly calls “Jane Austen land.”
“People get quite touched because they are walking where Jane Austen actually walked. They dance in a room that Jane Austen danced in,” he said. “For people who are very into Jane Austen, that’s extremely special.”
Many “Janeites” say they get huge enjoyment in making Austen's words and imageries come to life in a community of like-minded people.
Lisa Timbs, a pianist who researches the music in Austen’s life and performs it on an antique pianoforte, puts it succinctly: She and her Regency friends are "stepping back in time together.”
“I think it’s an escape for a lot of people,” Timbs added. “Perhaps it's to escape the speed, noise and abrasiveness of the era in which we find ourselves, and a longing to return to the elegance and indulgent pleasures of what was really a very fleeting period in history.”
Ellie Potts, right, a member of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, practices dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Chris Oswald, chair of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, holds up a period costume he made during a dance practice session of Hampshire Regency Dancers in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Kate Lobb, a member of the Hampshire Regency Dancers and a tailor, shows a regency-era costume she made during a dance practice session of Hampshire Regency Dancers in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Members of the Hampshire Regency Dancers practice dance in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of the 10 days Jane Austen Festival starting on Friday. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford talks about having an All-Pro season at age 37, credits his teammates and coach Sean McVay for his success and says his primary focus is on advancing in the playoffs.
Rob Maaddi, host: Welcome to On Football, I’m Rob Maaddi. We’re down to eight teams in the running for the Super Bowl. Only eight get a chance to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy. We will break down all of the NFL divisional-round games in Pro Picks coming up. Our guest this week, LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Matthew, last week, was named first team Associated Press All-Pro for the first time in his 17-year NFL career. He had a very cool reaction when I shared the news with him. So did Puka Nacua, Will Anderson, and a bunch of other guys. If you missed it, check out my social, AP social. All of those reactions, very cool. It’s always great to see guys react to wonderful news.
Matthew Stafford is the only one of the eight remaining starting quarterbacks in the playoffs who has actually won a Super Bowl, but no one has more pressure than Josh Allen. Last week in Jacksonville on the road, he willed the Bills to victory. He kept getting knocked down, took a physical beating and carried them to the finish line. Got the W and this week they’re on the road against Denver. We’ll break down that game, coming up. But for whatever reason, it seems that Josh Allen is held to a higher standard. A lot of analysts, especially former players, are so eager to see him fail, and they want to put all of Buffalo’s hopes squarely on Josh Allen. So if receivers drop the ball, running backs fumble, defense gives up 50 points, they’re ready and eager to blame Josh Allen for the loss. Football is the ultimate team sport and while the quarterback and someone of the magnitude of Josh Allen is gonna have a lot of input on how the game plays out, it’s still a team sport, and you gotta wait to see how it plays out before you dish out the blame for a loss that didn’t even occur. It just doesn’t make any sense.
Matthew Stafford had his best season at age 37. I spent a few minutes chatting with him last week about being a first team All-Pro, playing for coach Sean McVay and more. I’m down here in Tampa, so I got to see the tail end of Tom Brady, what he did at 43, 44, 45. What you did this year at 37 is right up there with the greatest seasons of all time. I appreciate that. What’s it take to be able to get that done, man?
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams quarterback: Great teammates, to be honest with you. A lot of hard work and dedication to try and keep myself upright and out there for those guys because that’s who I care about. But I’m lucky to play with a bunch of great players that, you know, help me along the way, make my job easy, and you know my job is just to get them the rock and as best I possibly can. So it’s been a whole lot of fun, a lot of people involved in keeping me healthy and going, but it’s, it’s been a great year. It’s been fun.
MAADDI: How much do you appreciate playing for a guy like Coach McVay?
STAFFORD: I love it. He’s close in age to me. We’ve got a lot of great shared experiences now throughout the years. And just my appreciation for him is huge. I just love playing for him. Love getting to spend time with him. Love the way he coaches our team, me in particular, He’s as steady of a human being as I’ve been around. And I appreciate that about him.
MAADDI: I know you’re all about team goals and you’re trying to win another Super Bowl, but do you set time aside at all? Do you, are you able to reflect about the personal things, the personal accomplishments? Is there any, like you want to check off, check this, I did this, I got that, you know, anything like that.
STAFFORD: Um, you know, I think I’m just so in the middle of it right now, you know, and, and there’s so much to do and so much to, uh, you know, to accomplish as a team. I really want to keep my focus on that. Obviously, I do understand and appreciate, um, you know, the importance of, uh this game and, and, uh you know what it’s meant throughout the years and the history of it, but at the same time, I just want to do everything I can to be the best teammate I can and help our guys continue, to continue this journey because it has been so fun. We’ve got such a great group. I want to make sure that I do everything in my power to make sure that we get to come back to work next week and do it again.
MAADDI: How special would an MVP be if that were to happen?
STAFFORD: It would mean a lot. I think it would be an unbelievable team award because especially the way I play the game as quarterback, I’m not running around holding the ball for forever. I’m getting it to guys that are making great plays and doing unbelievable things. So many guys to thank if that ever did happen. But it is... It’s a special one. It’s one that means a lot. I understand the history of this game and so many great players before me and to be mentioned in any kind of breath with those guys would mean a lot.
MAADDI: Well, Matthew. Here’s one you don’t have to wait on. We’re gonna announce on Saturday The Associated Press All-Pro rosters. You are the first-team quarterback.
STAFFORD: Oh, hell, that’s amazing. I appreciate that. I did not know that was coming. Man, played a lot of years. A lot of respect for this game. A lot respect for the other guys that do what I do. It’s not an easy thing to do. So, it means a lot. I really appreciate that, thank you.
MAADDI: Good luck down the road and hope to see you maybe in San Francisco.
STAFFORD: Hey, I appreciate it, Rob. Thanks, man.
MAADDI: Time for some Pro Picks, we were 5-1 straight up last week, 4-2 against the spread, my best bet one didn’t cover, upset special was money again. The 4-pack was a 2-pack last week because I just didn’t love the games. This week we’re back to a full four-pack, which is 53-20-1 overall, 45-28-1 against the number that start with the best bet and again I’m looking at the LA Rams, 13-5, at Chicago. The Bears are 12-6. The Rams are 3.5 point road favorites. Matthew Stafford had to rally LA after they blew a 14-0 lead against Carolina in a game that shouldn’t have been that close. Ended up winning 34-31. The Ram’s are going to need an effort out of their defense. Over the last five games, LA has averaged giving up 30 points. Meanwhile, the Bears are the comeback kids. They were down 21-3 at halftime against Green Bay. Caleb Williams led them to their seventh fourth-quarter comeback win this year. They just can’t continue to do that. You’ve got to play a full four quarter game or else at some point it’s going to catch up to you and I think that’s this week. I’m taking the Rams, 30-23. For my upset special, which they are 14-5 straight up, 15-4 against the spread this season, I’m looking at Houston at New England. Texans are 13-5, Patriots are 15-3, New England is a 3-point favorite, Houston has the No. 1 defense in the NFL, and they showed it against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Ended Mike Tomlin’s coaching career in Pittsburgh, dominated that game, scored two touchdowns on defense. They have an All-Pro edge rusher in Will Anderson Jr. Their cornerback Derek Stingley is an All-Pro. They just need CJ Stroud to protect the football this week and I think he will. The Patriots also, last week against the Chargers, they relied on defense, they won 16-3, they shut down Justin Herbert. Drake Maye led the team in rushing. He had a great season in his second year in the NFL. They’re gonna need him to be outstanding, elite against this defense, against Houston, the best in the NFL. I see the Texans sneaking in, 17-16. Next, the Saturday games. Buffalo, 13-5, at Denver, 14-3. Broncos are just a one-point favorite. Josh Allen, as I said earlier, he did everything last week. Now he’s gonna face the number two defense. He’s going to need more help from his teammates. Rushing champion James Cook had only 46 yards against Jacksonville. He’s got to get going this week. The Broncos, they’re also stacked on defense. They’ve got an All-Pro in the interior of the line, Zach Allen. Nik Bonitto on the edge is a monster. Patrick Surtain at cornerback was the defensive player of the year last year. They had 68 sacks, franchise record this season on offense. Bo Nix, they’ve also been comeback kids. He’s led seven fourth-quarter comebacks. He’s going to go against the NFL’s number one pass defense. But the Broncos are the number one seed. They were home, they were off last week. Meanwhile, the Bills played on Sunday. They got a little bit of a shorter rest. I like the Broncos, 24-22. Lastly, San Francisco, 13-5, at Seattle, 14-3. The Seahawks are 7.5-point favorites. It’s the third time these two teams meet. They played for the NFC’s number one seed in Week 18 in San Fran. Seattle won that 13-3. 49ers beat the Seahawks earlier in the season on the road. Last week, the Niners lost George Kittle and still found a way to beat the Eagles, eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions. Christian McCaffrey had two touchdowns, Brock Purdy made all the plays. They keep losing star players, whether it’s Nick Bosa and Fred Warner earlier in the season, and they continue to find ways to be resilient to win, to be in this position. Meanwhile, Seattle, number one seed, they were off last week, they’re at home. They’re gonna need Sam Darnold not to make mistakes. The Niners have to make Sam Darnold beat them They’ve got to try and to shut down that run and put it all on Sam Darnold. I do not like the fact that the 49ers played a Sunday game on the East Coast and now have to play on a Saturday. Terrible decision-making by the NFL schedule makers They could have put Seattle and San Fran on Sunday because the Bears and the Rams played on Saturday, so they get an extra day rest. And the 49ers get the shaft. I think all of those injuries, the travel, the time, everything catches up to them. I’m taking the Seahawks, 23-20. That’s it for this week. Thank you to Matthew Stafford.
Thank you for watching and listening to On Football and thank you to Haya Panjwani and Mike Hempen for producing this episode. Please check out APNews.com for all of the Pro Picks, On Football analysis and more NFL news.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford answers question after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
