‘The Other Bennet Sister’: Richard E. Grant, Ruth Jones & Indira Varma Join BBC/BritBox Series

The Other Bennet Sister, the BBC and BritBox‘s Jane Austen universe series, has added Ruth Jones, Richard E. Grant, and Indira Varma in major roles.

Jones (Gavin & Stacey) and Grant (Withnail & I) will co-star as Mr and Mrs Bennet in the adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s novel, which tells the story of Mary Bennet — the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Housed at Doctor Who and Industry producer Bad Wolf, Game of Thrones star Varma and Richard Coyle (Heads of State) are set as Mr and Mrs Gardiner, Mary’s worldly aunt and uncle. Ella Bruccoleri (Bridgerton) leads the 10-part series as Mary Bennet. Filming is underway 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 a new social world that includes Mr Hayward, Mr Ryder, and Ann Baxter.

Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story) and Dónal Finn (The Wheel of Time) star as Mr Ryder and Mr Hayward respectively. Doctor Who’s Varada Sethu features as Baxter.

John Sparrow is played by Aaron Gill (Smothered), Maddie Close (Sunflower Child) stars as Jane, Lizzie is played by Poppy Gilbert (My Oxford Year), Kitty is played by Molly Wright (The A Word), and Grace Hogg-Robinson (The Coroner) is Lydia. Caroline Bingley is played by Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), Charlotte Lucas is Anna Fenton-Garvey (The Nevers), and Ryan Sampson (Brassic) stars as Mr Collins.

Hadlow’s book was published in 2020. She is a former BBC Two controller who commissioned the likes of Great British Bake Off, Line of Duty and Wolf Hall during her tenure. Sarah Quintrell has adapted Hadlow’s novel for the screen.

The series was greenlit by Lindsay Salt, director of BBC drama. The executive producers are Kate Crowther, Becca Kinder and Jane Tranter for Bad Wolf; Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC; Jess O’Riordan, Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox; Sarah Quintrell, and Janice Hadlow. The series has been developed and overseen by Bad Wolf’s Dan McCulloch and Ryan Rasmussen.

The Other Bennet Sister will screen on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and BritBox in the U.S. and Canada. Bad Wolf is supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. Sony Pictures Television will distribute The Other Bennet Sister internationally.