The BBC has released a first look at Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones in the new period drama The Other Bennet Sister. Based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, the upcoming series follows the story of Mary Bennet “the oft-overlooked middle sister in Pride and Prejudice”.
Per the official synopsis, the series begins at Longbourn, the Bennet family home, and follows the five unmarried Bennet sisters as they “navigate the glittering yet precarious world of Regency England, where marriage is both aspiration and necessity”.
As her sisters search for romance, Mary travels to London with her aunt and uncle to begin “a journey of self-discovery” that will see Mary “stepping out of the shadows and into her own story”.
Bridgerton star Ella Bruccoleri is on board to play Mary Bennet, while Richard E. Grant and Jones star as Mr and Mrs Bennet, respectively.
Joining them on the impressive cast are Obi-Wan Kenobi star Indira Varma, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Richard Coyle, The Girlfriend’s Laurie Davidson and The Wheel of Time actor Dónal Finn.
BBC
BBC
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The newly released images show the cast in various locations donning Regency attire in what looks to be a promising period piece.
Jennifer Sheridan and Asim Abbasi serve as directors, while screenwriter Sarah Quintrell penned nine of the ten half-hour episodes, with Maddie Dai writing the other.
Speaking about the series, Quintrell said: “Exploring Jane Austen’s world through the eyes of Mary Bennet for the first time has been a joyful experience – and our incredible cast have added a whole new layer of life to these characters. Our story is set in a familiar and much-loved world, but we’re coming at it from a completely new angle.”
BBC
BBC
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Author Hadlow said: “It’s very exciting to think that Mary Bennet will soon be coming to our screens, taking centre stage at last in the story Jane Austen never gave her, played with such feeling by the wonderful Ella Bruccoleri, in the company of a brilliantly empathic cast who bring the whole drama gloriously and poignantly to life.”
Set for release on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2026, the ten part series will premiere on BritBox in the US and Canada.
BBC
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