The infamous scene from a TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that turned Eastleigh-born actor Colin Firth into a Hollywood sex symbol has been immortalised in a giant statue.

Complete with see-through wet shirt and dark curls, the fibreglass sculpture of the Oscar-winner’s head and torso could be seen towering 12ft out of the water at The Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park.

Although a little pale, the massive statue does bear a resemblance to the former Barton Peveril College student whose career took off after appearing in the BBC version of the Jane Austen classic.

He has since won countless awards, including an Oscar for The King’s Speech, in 2011, but for many he will always be Mr Darcy.

The statue has been built to celebrate the launch of a new TV channel Drama, after topping a poll to find the most memorable moment in British TV drama.

The scene featured in the 1995 BBC adaptation of the novel, which was published 200 years ago, and saw Firth diving into a lake at Lyme Park, Cheshire, wearing a white shirt and emerging dripping wet – to the delight of female viewers.

The former Kings School pupil once said of the role: “I dare say if I did spend my waking hours reading my own fan mail I probably would feel Darcy was following me around.”

The model of the star took a team of three sculptors more than two months to design, construct and paint.

Lead sculptor Toby Crowther said: “The challenge for us was capturing the spirit of Darcy as handsome and noble but also aloof and proud.

“The Mr Darcy sculpture is a real mix of the many portrayals of Jane Austen's most famous hero.”

The sculpture will tour a number of locations before being installed in Lyme Park, where it will remain until February.

Adrian Wills, general manager of Drama, said: “Jane Austen spent a lot of time walking in Hyde Park and along the banks of the Serpentine, so we would like to think she would have approved of our new dashing Darcy.”