Mary Bennet finally gets her moment. BritBox drops the official trailer and key art today for The Other Bennet Sister, a 10-episode series premiering May 6 in the U.S. and Canada. Based on Janice Hadlow’s acclaimed novel, the show pulls Pride and Prejudice’s oft-ignored middle sister out of the background and puts her front and center, in her own story, on her own terms.
Ella Bruccoleri leads the cast as Mary, alongside a lineup that includes Richard E. Grant, Ruth Jones, Indira Varma, Tanya Reynolds, Dónal Finn, and Laurie Davidson. The series is produced by Bad Wolf, the Cardiff-based company behind His Dark Materials and Industry, in co-production with BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Nine of the ten half-hour episodes were written by Sarah Quintrell, with Maddie Dai contributing one. Jennifer Sheridan and Asim Abbasi share directing duties.
The story picks up at Longbourn, where the Bennet household hums with the pressures of Regency England and five unmarried daughters navigating a world where marriage is both aspiration and necessity. While Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty, and Lydia pursue their familiar paths, Mary leaves for London to live with her aunt and uncle on Gracechurch Street, stepping into a journey of self-discovery that Pride and Prejudice never gave her. Iconic settings from the original story make appearances, including the Meryton Assembly Ball and the Netherfield Ball.
The series debuts May 6 with 3 episodes, followed by a weekly rollout for the remaining 7. It lands as part of BritBox’s “Austen Forever” programming slate, a six-month celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday covering adaptations and documentaries across all six of her completed novels. Sony Pictures Television handles international distribution.