‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Christmas Special First Look: Who’s Returning?
What To Know
- The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special reveals the cast and first look, featuring returning stars Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet and Dónal Finn as Tom Hayward.
- Several key cast members, including Ruth Jones, Tanya Reynolds, and Laurie Davidson, are returning.
- The three-part special, written by Sarah Quintrell and based on Janice Hadlow’s novel, will explore Mary’s journey as she navigates her new identity as Mrs. Hayward.
Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) are back in the first look at The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special, premiering this holiday season on BritBox.
The series has revealed the full cast and first plot details for the three-part special, confirming that Ruth Jones, Tanya Reynolds, and Laurie Davidson are among the returning stars alongside Bruccoleri and Finn. But the cast list reveals that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Richard Coyle and Indira Varma) will not be back in the special, nor will Mrs. Hill, played by Lucy Briers, the original Mary from PBS’s Pride & Prejudice.
Bruccoleri returns as Mary, as well as Finn as her husband Tom Hayward. The Other Bennet Sister finale episode saw Mary agreeing to wed Tom — but with marriage comes a new identity and the question remains: Who will Mary become as Mrs. Hayward? See Mary and Tom in the first photo from the special, above.
BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon
Also returning are Jones as Mrs. Bennet, Reynolds as Caroline Bingley, Davidson as Mr. Ryder, Varada Sethu as Ann Baxter, Poppy Gilbert as Lizzie Darcy, Maddie Close as Jane Bingley, Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Wickham, Molly Wright as Kitty Buncock, and Anna Fenton-Garvey as Charlotte Collins. Nerys Amber Stocks also joins the cast as Mary’s housemaid, Lucy.
Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell, who wrote nine of the 10 episodes of the series, has written all three additional episodes based on storylines by author Janice Hadlow. Asim Abbasi has returned to direct. The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special comes out later this year on BritBox.
Based on Hadlow’s novel of the same name, The Other Bennet Sister puts the middle and oft-ignored Bennet sister from Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice front and center on a journey of self-discovery, self-love, and romantic love.
After moving to London to live with her aunt and uncle following the death of her father, Mr. Bennet (Richard E. Grant), Mary blossomed into the independent woman her mother never allowed her to be and found herself in a love triangle of sorts with Mr. Hayward and Mr. Ryder, but she always had stronger feelings for Mr. Hayward, who was unavailable at first due to his relationship with Miss Baxter. But his immediate interest in Mary made him make major changes to his life.
They ended the season happily engaged. What challenges will marriage bring?
The Other Bennet Sister, Christmas Special Premiere, 2026, BritBox
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It seems a shame that Mr and Mrs Gardiner who were so involved in getting Mary and Mr Hayward together in the first place are not in the new episodes. Mary was so much closer to them than to her mother and it just seems a shame they won't be there to encourage and guide her. I appreciate they are busy actors whose schedules could possibly clash but it's still a shame.