BritBox has announced that Ella Bruccoleri will star as the titular Jane Austen character, Mary Bennet, in the new series The Other Bennet Sister.
Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife, Bridgerton, Paddington in Peru) is set to lead the cast of The Other Bennet Sister, a new series about one of Jane Austen’s most unassuming characters: Mary Bennet. Bruccoleri will star as Mary, the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
The Other Bennet Sister, based on Janice Hadlow’s eponymous best-selling novel, takes as its premise that, when it comes to the Bennet sisters, we might dream of being Lizzy, but we’re probably more like Mary in reality.
The ten-episode half-hour series 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.
Sarah Quintrell (The Power, Ellen) will write nine of the series’ ten half-hour episodes, and Maddie Dai (We Were Dangerous) will write one.
Said Ella Bruccoleri:
“As someone who has always related more to Mary than Lizzy — something that was confirmed even more by reading Janice Hadlow’s brilliant novel — I feel incredibly lucky to be spending these next few months exploring her world in depth, as envisioned by these incredible women. Sarah Quintrell’s scripts are packed full of beautiful idiosyncratic detail, empathy, humour and such warmth… revealing that beneath Mary’s awkwardness and formality, lies a woman longing for purpose and connection.”
And Janice Hadlow stated:
“I’m absolutely delighted that Ella will be playing Mary Bennet. I know she’ll be the Mary I’ve always imagined – awkward, stiff, always saying the wrong thing – but also vulnerable, lonely and desperate to find love. I’m sure she’ll make audiences feel her plight as deeply as I do, and think she’ll make the perfect Other Bennet Sister.”
A production of Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry) for BritBox International in a co-production with BBC iPlayer and BBC One, The Other Bennet Sister was co-commissioned by Robert Schildhouse, Jess O’Riordan, and Stephen Nye on behalf of BritBox International, and Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The executive producers are Kate Crowther, Becca Kinder, and Jane Tranter for Bad Wolf, and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC, with Sarah Quintrell and Janice Hadlow also serving as executive producers. The series has been developed and overseen by Bad Wolf’s Director of Content, Dan McCulloch, and Chief Creative Officer Ryan Rasmussen.
Bad Wolf is supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. Sony Pictures Television will distribute The Other Bennet Sister internationally.
The series will stream on BritBox in North America and on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK (dates tba). Stay tuned for updates.
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. Janice Hadlow’s novel, The Other Bennet Sister, was released in 2020, and reimagines Austen’s world by focusing on Mary Bennet, honoring Austen’s enduring influence while offering a fresh perspective on a classic tale.
__________________
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Ditto for other affiliate links, all at no extra cost to you.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sign up for free trials to streaming channels on Prime Video Channels
Students & young adults, get a 6-month trial of Prime for $0! Sign up now!