Mary Bennet Takes Center Stage in the Trailer for 'The Other Bennet Sister'
The charming trailer for the BritBox adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel will win over the most skeptical of critics.
We're already slated to get two brand-new Jane Austen adaptations in 2026, thanks to Netflix's limited-series take on Pride & Prejudice and a new feature film version of Sense & Sensibility. But the most interesting Austen adaptation of the year may well be the one that's the least directly connected to her books.
Based on the novel by Janice Hadlow, BritBox's The Other Bennet Sister has a fairly basic premise: What if the Bennet sibling everyone always seems to forget about is actually the character at the center of the story?
The ten-episode series stars Call the Midwife alumna Ella Bruccoleri as Mary, the Bennet sibling who is least like her sisters. Quiet, retiring, and — oh no! — a glasses wearer, no one seems to know quite what to do with her, and she's never been treated as though she's beautiful or special. Even in Austen's original text, Lizzie, Jane, Lydia, and Kitty all have significant roles throughout the events of Pride & Prejudice—Mary's just... kind of there.
This show aims to change all that, and if the trailer's anything to go by, it's going to succeed in every way imaginable. Bursting with charm, color, and immediately swoon-worthy suitors, it shows us a Mary striking out on her own — from Longbourne to London and into a life of her own choosing.
Here's the series' synopsis.
The story begins at Longbourn, the Bennet family home, where Mr. and Mrs Bennet preside over a lively household of five unmarried daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. As society’s pressures mount, the Bennet sisters navigate the glittering yet precarious world of Regency England, where marriage is both aspiration and necessity. While her sisters pursue romance and social triumph, Mary embarks on a very different path. Leaving Longbourn behind, she travels to London to live with her aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, in their elegant home on Gracechurch Street. There, Mary begins a journey of self-discovery, stepping out of the shadows and into her own story. Iconic settings from Pride and Prejudice, include the Meryton Assembly Ball and the Netherfield Ball, where fortunes and futures are decided under glittering chandeliers.
The actors playing the rest of the infamous Bennet clan include Poppy Gilbert (Sherwood) as Lizzie, Molly Wright (The Long Shadow) as Kitty, Grace Hogg-Robinson (COBRA) as Lydia, and Maddie Close (Sunflower Child) as Jane. Richard E. Grant (Saltburn) and Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey) play Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
The sprawling ensemble cast also features Richard Coyle (The Collection), Indira Varma (The Capture), Tanya Reynolds (The Decameron), Dónal Finn (Young Sherlock), Varada Sethu (Doctor Who), and Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story).
Sarah Quintell (The Power) wrote nine of the series's ten half-hour episodes, with Maddie Dai (We Were Dangerous) penning the tenth. Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary) and Asim Abbasi (The Famous Five) split helming duties. The series is produced by Bad Wolf, in a co-production with the BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
The Other Bennet Sister will premiere on BritBox on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, with three episodes. (Remember these are 30-minute installments, so that's basically a feature-length premiere.) The series will then continue with one episode a week on Wednesdays, through mid-June.
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