The BBC and streamer BritBox on Tuesday unveiled that Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Stella) will co-star as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister, a previously announced adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name.
Produced by Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry), the series will air on the BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the U.K. and BritBox International in the U.S. and Canada.
Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Night Manager) and Richard Coyle (Heads of State, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) will play Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, “Mary’s worldly aunt and uncle.” Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, The Girlfriend) and Dónal Finn (The Wheel of Time, SAS Rogue Heroes) have also joined the ensemble cast as Mr. Ryder and Mr. Hayward, respectively.
They star alongside the previously announced Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife, Bridgerton) as Mary Bennet.
The adaptation comes from screenwriter Sarah Quintrell (The Power, Ella). Filming on the 10-part show has already begun in Wales.
“The Gardiners take Mary under their wing as governess to their three children — Marianne (Roisin Bhalla), George (Reggie Absolom), and Rebecca (Jasmine Sharp) — introducing her to an exciting new social world that includes Mr Hayward, Mr Ryder, and Ann Baxter,” reads a synopsis.
The adaptation explores and expands the world of Pride and Prejudice through “the often-overlooked perspective of Mary Bennet.” Sarah Quintrell will write nine of the half-hour episodes, with Maddie Dai writing one. The series will be directed by Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary)a nd Asim Abbasi (Cake).
Said Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama: “It’s a joy to see cameras rolling on our vibrant, witty and clever new take on Jane Austen’s beloved world. With a pitch-perfect cast led by Ella, Ruth and Richard, The Other Bennet Sister will be an irresistible treat for viewers when it launches on the BBC next year.”
Added Bad Wolf’s Jane Tranter: “We have been working behind the scenes on The Other Bennet Sister for many years now, and Janice’s brilliantly observed characters have lived and grown in our imaginations throughout that time as Sarah has been working on the scripts. So our actors had a lot to live up to – and I can honestly say that this is the ensemble cast of our dreams.”
