BritBox and BBC are officially stepping back into the world of Pride and Prejudice as the spin-off novel adaptation, The Other Bennet Sister, is officially in production in Wales. With cameras now rolling, the streaming home for British TV unveiled the massive list of talent who will be joining Ella Bruccoleri‘s Mary Bennet on-screen. Leading the charge in starring roles are Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacy) and Richard E. Grant (The Franchise) as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, with Indira Varma (Creature Commandos) and Richard Coyle (Heads of State) playing Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story) as Mr. Ryder, and Dónal Finn (The Wheel of Time) as Mr. Hayward. Additionally, other Jane Austen characters will appear throughout the story, as well as original characters never featured in the author’s seminal novel.
The Other Bennet Sister is based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, which follows Mary, the oft-overlooked middle child of the family, as she forges her own path away from her sisters. After following the events of Pride and Prejudice from her perspective, she gets swept up in an epic romantic adventure that’ll take her from her family’s home in Meryton to the soirées of Regency London and the idyllic Lake District. Through it all, she seeks identity, purpose, love, and independence. Entering a new social world after being taken under the wing of the Gardiners will mean Mary will be introduced to loads of new characters, including the couple’s children, Marianne (Roisin Bhalla), George (Reggie Absolom), and Rebecca (Jasmine Sharp), as well as Mr. Ryder and Hayward and Anne Clarke.
While the names mentioned above will be the most prominently featured, the new series has also filled out a few other key roles, including those of Mary’s sisters at the Longbourn House. Jane Bennet will be portrayed by Maddie Close (Sunflower Child), while Poppy Gilbert (My Oxford Year) is set to play Lizzie, Molly Wright (The A Word) plays Kitty, and Grace Hogg-Robertson (The Coroner) embodies Lydia. In terms of other Austen characters, Caroline Bingley (Tanya Reynolds), Charlotte Lucas (Anna Fenton-Garvey), and Mr. Collins (Ryan Sampson) will all be featured, as will two new characters from beyond Pride and Prejudice, Ann Baxter and John Sparrow, who will be played by Doctor Who‘s Varada Sethu and Smothered‘s Aaron Gill respectively. Robert Schildhouse, the President of BritBox North America and General Manager of BritBox International, hailed the casting as “extraordinary” in a statement and explained why he believes The Other Bennet sister is a must-watch for Austen fans:
“We’re very happy to unveil this extraordinary cast for The Other Bennet Sister. This impeccable ensemble brings together great talent, with performances that honor Jane Austen’s beloved characters while introducing compelling new ones. This is the perfect series for BritBox and fans of Austen, a beautifully crafted period drama offering the delightful, character-driven, and bold British storytelling our audiences know and love.”
Who Is Behind ‘The Other Bennet Sister’?
Helming The Other Bennet Sister is Sarah Quintrell, who previously co-created Prime Video‘s The Power and penned an episode of His Dark Materials. Before taking up writing, however, she was a familiar face across British television, appearing in small roles across Call the Midwife, Rillington Place, and Doctor Who. In addition to creating the series, she penned nine of the ten episodes, with We Were Dangerous‘s Maddie Dai writing the other. Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary) and Asim Abbasi (Cake) served as directors.
The Other Bennet Sister is now in production, and it comes at the perfect time, with this year marking the 250th anniversary of Austen‘s birth. However, a release date hasn’t been set yet. When it does air, it’ll be available to stream on BritBox in North America and BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK.
via Collider