The Cork native has appeared in The Witcher, SAS: Rogue Heroes, The Wheel of Time and Fantastic Beasts
Katie Palmer Senior TV Reporter for Screen Time
20:00, 22 Mar 2026Updated 07:03, 23 Mar 2026
Donal Finn was raised in Dromina
The Other Bennet Sister has returned to BBC One, with the charming period drama featuring Call the Midwife’s Ella Bruccoleri in the role of Mary Bennet. The programme, which boasts numerous recognisable actors, picks up after the conclusion of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, chronicling the frequently ignored Bennet sister as she journeys to London in the wake of a family bereavement.
Among those she encounters is Tom Hayward, an acquaintance of the Gardiners, with whom Mary lodges whilst working as a governess. Mr Hayward is portrayed by Dónal Finn, a 30-year-old Irish performer who grew up in Dromina, Co Cork, as one of eight siblings in a farming household.
Speaking about his attraction to the part, he explained: “I come from a big family with lots of sisters. Many people watch Pride and Prejudice and want to be Elizabeth, but I identify much more with Mary.”
Mr Hayward is played by Dónal Finn
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“She represents how people often feel internally constrained by expectations and circumstance. The story shows how someone can change when they’re removed from an environment where they can’t flourish.”
Finn completed his Bachelor of Arts in acting at LAMDA in 2018, with his first significant appearance being in The Witcher, where he played a peasant character called Nettly. In 2022, he secured the role of soldier Eoin McGonigal in the debut series of the BBC’s SAS: Rogue Heroes. Audiences might also know him from his portrayal of Mat Cauthon in the second season of The Wheel of Time.
Recognised as one of Screen Ireland’s ‘Rising Stars of Ireland’, he took on the part of Orpheus in the West End staging of Hadestown. His latest project sees him appearing in the Prime Video production Young Sherlock, where he takes on the character of James Moriarty.
Mr Hayward and Mary Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister
On the big screen, his credits include Karl Boden in How to Build a Girl, Albert in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Sean Gore in Four Letters of Love. His talents extend beyond the camera, with the performer recently lending his voice to Turpin, a new historical audio drama. He takes the starring role of Richard Turpin, a character who forsakes his comfortable existence as a butcher to pursue a life of violent criminality.
He is an accomplished vocalist, having grown up immersed in music and begun singing as a child. In conversation with The Rake magazine, he recalled: “For family gatherings, as the night rolls on, people do start to sing. So the notion of singing in front of other people, I always saw as a kid.”
The Other Bennet sister airs on BBC One on Sundays; the series is also available on BBC iPlayer