‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Gifts BritBox a Holiday Special
Mary Bennet may have found true love, but her story isn’t quite done yet, with a three-part Christmas special heading our way in December.
The finale of The Other Bennet Sister has premiered on BritBox, but just because Mary Bennet has found true love does not mean the story is over. On the heels of the limited series’s last episode premiering, the streaming service has announced that The Other Bennet Sister will return in December 2026 for a three-part holiday special.
We’ve talked before about the importance of the British “Festive Special” (the official non-denominational term for holiday special on the far side of the pond). Unlike America, the U.K. is a nation where the default religion is Christian (the King is the head of the Church, ffs), and the tradition of British families sitting round the telly watching Christmas-themed specials from December 20th through the end of the year has only grown since the arrival of the 21st century. Being awarded a timeslot during these two weeks is a sign that a show has “made it,” if you will. It’s proof that the series has drawn a large enough audience, or made a large enough cultural impact, that an entire national home from work will want to spend part of their celebrations seeing what these folks are up to for the holidays.
The Other Bennet Sister has certainly cleared that bar. Not only was the series a hit for the BBC, with 7.3 million tuning in for the premiere, but it’s also been a record-breaker for BritBox. The Other Bennet Sister brought in more new viewers in its first five weeks than any previous series, leading to the strongest quarter of subscriber growth in its history. Of course, they’re coming back for Christmas.
There’s no synopsis for the three-part special as yet, and (probably because the finale has only just debuted), no cast has been officially confirmed beyond Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife) as Mary. However, the press release promises “a host of other familiar faces from the series set to return.” The Christmas special will also bring back most of the same people behind the camera, with series creator Sarah Quintrell penning all episodes based on storylines by the novel’s original author, Janice Hadlow. Director Asim Abbasi (The Famous Five) returns to helm all three installments.
Don’t forget to check out our recap of The Other Bennet Sister finale, which we’ll post at the usual time, followed by our exclusive interview with Sarah Quintrell. Also, don’t forget in all the excitement that A Woman of Substance (which was just renewed for Season 2!) also premieres today with two episodes – our recaps for those will be posted at the very end of the day.
Quintrell and Hadlow both executive produce The Other Bennet Sister, alongside Jane Tranter, Kate Crowther & Becca Kinder for Bad Wolf, Robert Schildhouse, Jon Farrar & Jess O’Riordan for BritBox, and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC.
The Other Bennet Sister is expected to start filming the three-part Christmas special in Wales in the summer of 2026. All episodes of the main series are available to stream on BritBox.
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