The Other Bennet Sister, an adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel which itself is based on characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, aired its first two episodes on BBC One last night.
Starring Gavin & Stacey’s Ruth Jones, Saltburn’s Richard E Grant, Call the Midwife’s Ella Bruccoleri, and Game of Thrones’ Indira Varma, the show follows Mary Bennet as she tries to step up from under the shadow of Elizabeth and the rest of the clan.
Now that the first two episodes (out of 10) have aired, and another three are available on iPlayer, critic reviews have started to appear online, and thankfully it’s a solid addition to Austen’s legacy.
BBC
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“The growing charm and heft – not to mention the lovely central performance from Bruccoleri – make it one worth sticking with,” The Guardian wrote.
Metro called the show a “radical retelling” that “tears up the manual and runs riot in the world Austen has created to take the scant parts we’re told about Mary to paint a much bigger picture – and give her a moment in the sun”, although it notes that Austin purists might struggle at first to get on board.
The Independent praised the show itself for not being a super-sexual period drama like Bridgerton and the new Wuthering Heights movie and instead focusing on a “delightfully awkward” protagonist.
It also stated that Jones “perfectly portrayed” the prickly Mrs Bennet.
BBC
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Fans seem to like it too, going by a Reddit thread of viewers discussing the show so far.
“I love everything about it – the casting, the production design, the score, the subtle and evocative storytelling,” wrote one fan.
Another said: “I love the casting and the attention to to detail in the sets and costumes is everything after lots of shows not paying much attention to historical accuracy.”
The main complaint from fans was that the UK has to wait two weeks for the final five episodes, while the US has to wait until May for the show.
The Other Bennet sister airs on BBC One and streams on iPlayer in the UK.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.