Focusing on the witty, intelligent Elizabeth Bennet as her protagonist in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen never paid much attention to Lizzie's younger sister Mary Bennet. And when the novelist deigned to write about the oft-overlooked middle Bennet sister, she was far from complimentary of her.
‘Mary had neither genius nor taste’, she wrote. ‘And though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached.’
Now though, Mary Bennet is taking centre stage in The Other Bennet Sister. This (regularly very funny) drama follows Mary as she moves to London to become a governess for the Gardiner family and finds herself at the centre of an epic love story – caught between two very dashing gentleman.
Who stars in The Other Bennet Sister?
Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet
‘Mary Bennet has been written off by many members of her family and as a result she’s written herself off too,’ reveals Ella Bruccoleri. ‘When we meet her at the beginning of the series, she’s living with her family in a small village and has never really left that world. These are the only people she knows, and she understands herself through the values they impose on her. We know these characters from Pride and Prejudice, but it’s fascinating to see the impact they have on someone like Mary.’
Whilst The Other Bennet Sister excitingly marks Ella Bruccoleri’s first-ever lead role, we have no doubt that you’ll have spotted the actress on your TV screens before now. Maybe you’re a fan of Call The Midwife and recognise Ella has having played Sister Frances from 2018-2022? Maybe you’re currently loving ITV’s The Lady (2026) in which Ella plays Angela.
Other notable roles of Ella Bruccoleri’s include Ali Day in Passenger (2024), Miss Barragan in Bridgerton (2024), Nurse Steph in Down Cemetery Road (2025), and Socks in Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials (2026).
Ruth Jones as Mrs Bennet
‘Mrs Bennet is iconic, and a huge challenge,’ admits Ruth Jones. ‘I was stepping into very large shoes. I wanted to meet that challenge and portray her differently from how she’s traditionally been seen. In The Other Bennet Sister, we don’t see a woman of purely nervous disposition. I think of her like an estate agent with five properties to sell — four will be snapped up, but one can’t even get a viewing. She’s a tough businesswoman. That really appealed to me.’
One of Britain’s comedy greats, Ruth Jones initially shot to fame when she appeared in Fat Friends (2000-2005) as Kelly Chadwick alongside her eventual Gavin & Stacey co-creator James Corden. Then came Mffanwy in Little Britain (2003-2006), Linda in Nighty Night (2004-2005). She’s of course best known for playing Nessa Jenkins in Gavin & Stacey (2007-2010, 2019, 2024) which she co-created.
That’s not to say that Ruth Jones hasn’t turned her hand to drama too. Recently there was Harlan Coben’s Run Away (2026) on Netflix in which she played Elena Ravenscroft, and The Street (2009).
Interestingly Ruth Jones’ first film role came with a Jane Austen adaptation. Ruth played Bates’ Maid in the Gwyneth Paltrow-led Emma (1996).
Richard E. Grant as Mr Bennet
‘I’ve always wanted to play Mr Bennet, having read Pride and Prejudice several times,’ says Richard E. Grant. ‘When Ruth Jones was cast, I knew she’d be perfect, so I was thrilled to work with her.’
No stranger to a period drama, Richard E. Grant appeared in the film adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993) and Twelfth Night (1996), as well as the TV adaptations of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999-2000), The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002), and Jekyll and Hyde (2015).
Other notable TV roles of Richard’s include Dr Simeon in Doctor Who (2012-2013), Izembaro in Game of Thrones (2016), The Earl in The Outlaws (2021-2024), Harry in Suspect (2022), Peter Fairchild in The Franchise (2024), and Jonno Ratigan in Too Much (2025).
Film-wise there’s been Withnail in Withnail and I (1987), Franklin Wilhern in Penelope (2006), Michael Heseltine in The Iron Lady (2011), Major Cross in Queen and Country (2014), Mr. Seifert in The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), Hugo Battersby/Loco Chanelle in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021), Sir James in Saltburn (2023), and Bobby Tanner in The Thursday Murder Club (2025).
Dónal Finn as Tom Hayward
‘Tom Hayward is a friend of the Gardiners and meets Mary while she’s working as a governess,’ explains Dónal Finn. ‘He’s not from London, so he understands what it feels like to be an outsider. He works hard to be seen, and that shared experience creates an immediate connection between them.’
A busy actor, Dónal Finn is currently starring in the Prime Video series Young Sherlock as James Moriarty. Other notable roles of Dónal’s include as Eoin McGonigal in SAS: Rogue Heroes (2022-2025) and Mat Cauthon in The Wheel of Time (2023-2025).
Dónal is also a prolific theatre actor who originated the role of Orpheus in the original West End production of Hadestown.
Laurie Davidson as William Ryder
‘William Ryder is one of several suitors Mary Bennet encounters,’ introduces Laurie Davidson. ‘He sees himself as very modern and forward-thinking, but he’s impulsive and easily distracted. He’s always chasing the next idea. In Mary, he sees someone completely different from the women he’s known — and a true kindred spirit.’
Laurie Davidson made his TV acting debut with Will (2017), playing the infamous William Shakespeare. Since then you may have spotted him in Guilty Party (2021) as George, Mary & George (2024) as Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, The Road Trip (2024) as Dylan, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025) as David Blakely, and The Girlfriend (2025) as Daniel Sanderson.
Richard Coyle as Mr Gardiner
Mr Gardiner is the head of the Gardiner household and Mrs Bennet’s brother. Unlike a lot of men in his position, Mr Gardiner is a very involved father to his three children and dotes upon them and his wife Mrs Gardiner (Indira Varma).
Richard Coyle is a prolific English actor who’s appeared in TV shows like Coupling (2000-2002), Strange (2002-2003), Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020), Six Four (2023), and The Gathering (2024).
Film-wise you may have spotted Richard as Michael Cass in Othello (2001), Amis in A Good Year (2006), Tus in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Aberforth Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and Quincy Harrington in Heads of State (2025).
Indira Varma as Mrs Gardiner
The welcoming and generous Mrs Gardiner does everything in her power to encourage Mary Bennet to step out of her sister’s shadows (and out from under her mother Mrs Bennet’s thumb).
Since making her TV acting debut in Crucial Tales (1996), Indira Varma has been a regular on our screens. You may have seen her in roles such as Martine Nichol in Psychos (1999), Niobe Vorena in Rome (2005-2007), Zoe Luther in Luther (2010), Ilsa Pucci in Human Target (2010-211), Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones (2014-2017), Khadija Khan in The Capture (2022-2026), Fiona in Coldwater (2025), and Mayra Cavendish in The Night Manager (2026).
Tanya Renolds as Caroline Bingley
The younger sister of Jane Bennet’s eventual husband Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley is a judgemental woman who sees no real value in Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri).
Tanya Reynolds – who is currently dating fellow actor Freddie Fox – made her TV acting debut playing Teresa Benelli in Delicious (2016-2019). Since then you may have spotted her as Lily Inglehart in Sex Education (2019-2021), Queen Victoria in Dodger (2022), Charlie in I Hate You (2022), and Licisca in The Decameron (2024).
Tanya is also set to appear in the fourth series of Ted Lasso when it returns, but it’s not yet been revealed which character she’ll be playing.
Varada Sethu as Ann Baxter
Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Ann Baxter soon become close friends. The only problem is, she’s seemingly promised to Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) so their relationship isn’t going to be smooth sailing.
The Other Bennet Sister may mark Varada Sethu’s first period drama, but the 33 year old already has plenty of acting roles to her name including Aisha in Doctor Foster (2017), DS Mishal Ali in Hard Sun (2018), Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri in Strike Back: Revolution (2019) and Strike Back: Vendetta (2020), DS Harper Weston in Annika, Cinta Kaz in Andor (2022-2025), and companion Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who (2025).
Ryan Sampson as Mr Collins
The comic relief in Pride and Prejudice, pompous clergyman Mr Collins also makes an appearance in The Other Bennet Sister. Sadly there’s no, ‘What excellent boiled potatoes’ though.
After making his acting debut in 2003 playing Vinny Markham in Wire in the Blood, Ryan Sampson has become a regular on our screens. Ryan is probably best known for starring in comedies like After You’ve Gone (2007-2008), The Work Experience (2012), Up the Women (2013-2015), Plebs (2013-2023), Brassic (2019-2025), and Mr Bigstuff (2024-present).
Maddie Close as Jane Bennet
The eldest Bennet sister, Jane Bennet is known for being beautiful and generous. She eventually ends up with Mr Bingley.
Just at the start of what we can assume will be a prolific career, Maddie Close doesn’t have many credits to her name except for a short film called The Newspaper in which she played a character called Kate.
Poppy Gilbert as Lizzie Bennet
The protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Bennet is a quick-witted and spirited individual.
Swedish-born actress Poppy Gilbert made her acting debut in an episode of Call The Midwife (2020). Since then you may have spotted her in Stay Close (2021) in which she played Barbie, Chloe (2022) in which she played the titular Chloe, The Catch (2023) in which she played Abbie Collier.
Film-wise Poppy appeared in the Netflix film My Oxford Year (2025) playing the role of Cecelia Knowles.
Molly Wright as Kitty Bennet
The fourth Bennet sister, Catherine ‘Kitty’ Bennet is a massive flirt, obsessed with her younger sister Lydia who she is easily influenced by.
Actress Molly Wright made her acting debut in The A Word (2016-2020) as Rebecca Hughes. Since then you may have spotted her as Lulu Lane in Our Girl (2016), Rosie Kemper in Casualty (2021), and Donna Deangelo in The Long Shadow (2023).
Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Bennet
The youngest of the Bennet sisters, Lydia Bennet is reckless, vain and obsessed with flirting with the soldiers that come to Meryton and Longbourn – especially Wickham who eventually she elopes with bringing scandal to the family.
Despite not yet being in her 30s, Grace Hogg-Robinson already has a plethora of TV roles under her belt including Beth Kennedy in The Coroner (2015-2016), Mel in Flatmates (2019-2021), Lily in Flesh and Blood (2020), and Tess Marshall in COBRA (2020-2021).
Anna Fenton-Garvey as Charlotte Lucas
Characterised as plain and practical, Charlotte Lucas eventually ends up with Mr Collins (Ryan Sampson) to avoid becoming a spinster. Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Charlotte identify with each other the most.
Playing Charlotte Lucas in The Other Bennet Sister marks Anna Fenton-Garvey’s biggest role to date, but she did also make a brief appearance in The Nevers (2023) playing a maid.
Is The Other Bennet Sister based on a book?
As well as the original source material: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Other Bennet Sister is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow.
After a career as a BBC television executive, Janice turned to writing. Her first book A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III was published in October 2014, with The Other Bennet Sister following in March 2020.
Where was The Other Bennet Sister filmed?
As is typical for a period drama, some filming for The Other Bennet Sister took place in Bristol. Orchard Street in the city was used as a double for London’s Cheapside which ran from St. Paul’s Cathedral to Poultry.
The majority of filming took place in Cardiff and the surrounding areas in Wales, including the Bad Wolf Studios in the capital. Filming began there in May 2025, and whilst the cast and crew were there Prince William toured the studios in his capacity as President of British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) – a role he has held since 2010.
Some filming also took place in The Lake District.
When does The Other Bennet Sister air?
Tune into BBC1 on Sunday 15 March to catch up with Mary Bennet. All ten episodes will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
Daisy Hall became a writer for TVChoice after realising that she could make a career out of her incredible ability to extensively name an actor's credits when they randomly pop up in whatever she's watching. Her friends find it infuriating, but hopefully you find it useful!