‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Boss Explains That Mr. Collins Book Change
Did you know there’s a whole storyline in The Other Bennet Sister novel that features a deeper emotional bond between Mary and Mr. Collins than depicted in the TV adaptation? Here, the series creator explains why.
Based on Janice Hadlow’s acclaimed novel, The Other Bennet Sister follows Mary Bennet, the oft-overlooked middle sister in Pride & Prejudice, as she navigates the societal pressures of Regency England, where marriage is both aspiration and necessity.
It stars Ella Bruccoleri, Dónal Finn, Laurie Davidson, and more as the story follows Mary’s journey of self-discovery, self-love, and romantic love. The series starts with the plot of Pride & Prejudice, but then it quickly zips through that story to get to what happened after. Part of that Pride & Prejudice story is Charlotte Lucas’ (Anna Fenton-Garvey) marriage to Mr. Collins (Ryan Sampson), the goofy Bennet cousin. Mary thought she might be suited to marry Mr. Collins and be able to maintain her family’s home, Longbourne, but Charlotte got to him first. The unexpected development felt like an act of betrayal to Mary, and it changed her friendship with Charlotte moving forward.
In The Other Bennet Sister BritBox series, Mary reunites with her family at the Darcy estate, Pemberley. Mary and Mr. Collins have a moving conversation about being in charge of their own happiness. It’s in the context of Mr. Collins expressing some of his unhappiness in his marriage with Charlotte. When Mary leaves Pemberley, he gives her a note reminding them that they’re in charge of their own fates.
In the book, Mary goes to stay with Charlotte. While there, she learns the Greek Alphabet from Mr. Collins, and they realize they would have been a good match. An upset Charlotte tells Mary she needs to leave so as not to get in the way of her marriage. It doesn’t reach the point of an emotional affair, but Charlotte would probably describe it that way.
Sarah Quintrell, the series creator and writer, tells TV Insider that they didn’t adapt this section of the book in full because “there really just wasn’t space for it.”
BBC / Bad Wolf
“When you’re making decisions, I’m looking at, what does it give us and what does it take away from us?” she explains. “It would have taken up so much space actually, and it wouldn’t have given us a huge amount. That library scene [in Episode 7] really gives us everything we need. It gives us him going, ‘Oh, I could have been happy with you.'”
Quintrell notes that her adaptation provides emotional resolutions to this scene that the book doesn’t have, and the same goes for the scene between Mary and Lizzie (Poppy Gilbert).
“Charlotte doesn’t have that resolution in the book and neither does Lizzie, the resolutions that I gave them in [Episode] 7, but it did feel important on screen,” Quintrell explains, “For me, I wanted to see Lizzie say sorry, to understand what she did at Netherfield with the ‘you can’t play the piano anymore’ and just say sorry for it. I feel like she covers that in Episode 7 and they’re some of my favorite scenes.”
Quintrell is referencing the moment when Mary is contemplating Mr. Ryder’s (Davidson) offer of living together unmarried in Italy in conversation with Lizzie. Lizzie judges her for considering it, but then she’s forced to see life from Mary’s perspective for the first time, and how she has failed Mary as a sister by extension by never truly seeing her struggles. These scenes made for some of The Other Bennet Sister‘s best moments.
Another book change Quintrell made for the show: Miss Baxter (Varada Sethu) is not even a character in the book, nor is Mr. Hayward (Finn) ever in a long-term courtship with another woman. Quintrell explains that decision here.
The Other Bennet Sister will return for a three-part Christmas special later this year.
The Other Bennet Sister, Season 1, Available Now, BritBox
The Other Bennet Sister Christmas Special, Christmas 2026, BritBox
Conversation4 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
J
That book sounds terrible. I can't imagine the 'real' Mr. Collins indulging in anything remotely involving emotions. He'd be too gratified to be married to Charlotte, especially since she's as eager as he is to please the almighty Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Bottom line, Mr. Collins doesn't have the wit or brain to have an affair, emotional or otherwise.
5
-
B
And that is why this adaptation is a disappointment in the end because the book is infinitely better. I was SO excited when I heard it was being adapted for the screen and while it wasn't bad it was nowhere near as good as it could have been and if that is your takeaway it ultimately does a huge disservice. Please read the book (but be warned that you'll be much less satisfied with the screen version).
3
-
J
I don't watch the screen version of this book so... there's no way for me to be much less satisfied with it. :-p
-
-
-
M
Jenna- read the book, its brilliant!
2
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services