BBC Greenlights ‘Bennet Sister’ Sequel ‘The Other Elliot Sister’
Hadlow's next novel, 'The Other Elliot Sister' – which will focus on one of Anne’s sisters from 'Persuasion' – will be adapted by the BBC.
The 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival has been a font of news, with multiple networks using the event to roll out commissions and renewals by the score. But thus far, the most exciting news to arrive was the announcement by Bad Wolf’s Jane Tranter that the BBC has worked out how to capitalize on the success of The Other Bennet Sister, despite there being no obvious way forward for a second season, and no novels currently published by author Janice Hadlow that could work as one.
Luckily for the BBC, Hadlow is an executive producer and worked closely with screenwriter Sarah Quintrell to adapt her work. When she saw the BBC’s need for a follow-up novel, she obliged, and her next in the series, The Other Elliot Sister – which will focus on one of Anne’s sisters from Persuasion – will be released in the next year or so.
Tranter confirmed that Bad Wolf has the rights to adapt the forthcoming novel, and the BBC has agreed to pick it up. In short: when in doubt, make it an anthology series.
That being said, unlike Pride & Prejudice, which was Austen’s second novel, Persuasion was the one she wrote at the end of her life, and it is much less kind and forgiving towards the Elliot family. Even though Pride & Prejudice pokes fun at the Bennet clan, only Mrs. Bennet lacks a sympathetic strain to her character, and while Mary is pretty awful, there’s still enough in the margins for Hadlow to work with.
This is not true of Anne’s sisters, Elizabeth Elliot and Mary Musgrove (nee Elliot). It will be interesting to see if Hadlow can succeed with this idea, and I have to admit, I wish the BBC would wait until it is released – and we can see if she does – before making this press release official.
But in TV, it’s necessary to strike while the iron is hot, so one cannot blame BBC Drama director Lindsey Salt for getting this announcement out while the excitement is still fresh. However, without even a book draft or release date in sight, there’s no synopsis, not even an indication of which Elliot sister “the other one” is.
As this is merely an onstage announcement without a press release, there’s no cast attached and no behind-the-camera talent confirmed, but it’s a good bet that Quintell (The Power), who wrote nine of The Other Bennet Sister’s ten episodes, will be the one to adapt the novel, once again working closely with Hadlow. Bad Wolf will produce the new series in co-production with BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
Notably, BritBox was not mentioned in the announcement; however, considering The Other Bennet Sister currently stands as the streaming service’s biggest hit to date by several orders of magnitude, it’s a good bet it’ll be on board as well once this actually gets off the ground.
The Other Elliot Sister will confirm more details in due course. The Other Bennet Sister three-part Christmas special will air and stream on BBC One and BritBox in December 2026.
The Other Bennet Sister
All episodes of the main series are available to stream on BritBox.
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