'The Other Bennet Sister' Marks the Start of Filming with Full Cast Reveal

BritBox and the BBC have announced that their co-production, The Other Bennet Sister, adapted from the 2020 best-selling Pride & Prejudice retelling, has begun filming in Wales. The BBC first announced the project in October 2024, but it was only a few weeks ago that BritBox boarded the series. At the time, filming was confirmed to begin in the summer of 2025, making this quite the quick turnaround. However, fans who are hoping this means the show will arrive in time for Jane Austen's 250th birthday should not be fooled, as the BBC also indicates that the show is not planned for release until 2026.

Along with the news that filming was underway, the two networks also released the full cast for the ten-episode series. Former Call the Midwife cast member Ella Bruccoleri (Seasons 8–12) was previously revealed to be playing the titular "other" Bennet sister, Mary, a fitting match for a character who was first iconized by Lucy Briers in the 1995 miniseries and then by Talulah Riley in the 2005 film. However, the casting of Elizabeth Bennet, Mary's lucky-in-love sister Lizzie, really leans into the 1995 adaptation with Poppy Gilbert (Sherwood) playing Austen's famed heroine.

The Other Bennet Sister is one of multiple productions planned as part of Jane Austen's Semiquincentennial, which fans will celebrate on December 16, 2025; however, like many of them, it's not being planned to arrive on Austen's birthday. (For example, Miss Austen and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life both already arrived months ahead of time.) "It's a joy to see cameras rolling on our vibrant, witty, and clever new take on Jane Austen's beloved world," BBC Drama director Lindsay Salt said in the press release. "With a pitch-perfect cast led by Ella, The Other Bennet Sister will be an irresistible treat for viewers when it launches on the BBC next year."

Here's the series synopsis:

Mary Bennet – the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The series takes as its premise that, when it comes to the Bennet sisters, while we dream of being Lizzy, in reality, most of us are more like Mary. It follows Mary as she steps out of her sisters’ shadows in search of her own identity and purpose, finding herself in the middle of an epic love story along the way. Her journey will see her leave her family home in Meryton for the soirees of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love, and reinvention.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, one of English literature’s most celebrated authors. Renowned for her keen social observations and unforgettable characters, Austen’s legacy endures through beloved novels like Pride and Prejudice. The Other Bennet Sister, a book by Janice Hadlow, was released in 2020, and reimagines Austen’s world by focusing on Mary Bennet – honouring Austen’s enduring influence while offering a fresh perspective on a classic tale.

The casting additions for the series start with the other members of the Bennet Family. Alongside Bruccoleri as Mary and Gilbert as Lizzie, the series will feature Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey) and Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I) as Mary’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Newcomer Maddie Close plays eldest sister, Jane Bennet; Molly Wright (Darby & Joan) plays second youngest, Kitty Bennet; and Grace Hogg-Robinson (COBRA) rounds out the family as youngest, Lydia Bennet.

Richard Coyle (The Collection) and Indira Varma (The Night Manager) will play Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Bennet’s brother and his wife. The Other Bennet Sister covers Mary’s being sent to live with her worldly aunt and uncle; newcomers Roisin Bhalla, Reggie Absolom, and Jasmine Sharp play their children: Marianne, George, and Rebecca. 

Notable characters from the original Pride & Prejudice who will appear in Mary's story include Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) as Caroline Bingley, Anna Fenton-Garvey (The Nevers) as Charlotte Lucas, and Ryan Sampson (Brassic) as Mr. Collins.

New characters from the novel include four Gardiner family friends: Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story) as Mr. Ryder, Dónal Finn (SAS Rogue Heroes) as Mr. Hayward, Varada Sethu (Doctor Who) as Ann Baxter, and Aaron Gill (Piglets) as John Sparrow. Also of note, though she is not listed in the press release, the headshot for the aforementioned OG 1995 Mary, Lucy Briers, was included in the cast photos, suggesting we should expect a cameo of some kind.

The series was developed by Bad Wolf’s Director of Content, Dan McCulloch, and Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Rasmussen. Writer Sarah Quintrell (His Dark Materials) pens most of the ten half-hour episodes from Janice Hadlow's novel, with writer Maddie Dai (We Were Dangerous) also penning an episode. Directors Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary) and Asim Abbasi (Cake) split helming duties between them. Quintrell and Hadlow executive produce alongside Kate Crowther, Becca Kinder & Jane Tranter for Bad Wolf, and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC. 

The Other Bennet Sister is now filming in the U.K. and is expected to be released in early 2026.