Meet your 'The Other Bennet Sister' cast

The Other Bennet Sister: The Perfect Regency Novel for Fans of Bridgerton and Jane Austen: Amazon.co.uk: Hadlow, Janice: 9781509842049: Books

In April, we had all the excitement around all the casting announcements for the new Pride and Prejudice adaptation; this month, we're all about the new adaptation of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister. In the novel, we follow Mary Bennet - poor, plain Mary - as she finally gets her turn in the spotlight. The show, which splits the story into ten parts for BBC One and iPlayer, will follow Mary Bennet as she takes on the role of governess for the Gardiner children. Now, we have a pretty full casting announcement - let's have a look!

ELLA BRUCCOLERI as Mary Bennet

In the title role is Ella Bruccoleri. No stranger to a beloved British classic, you might have seen her in Paddington in Peru, Call the Midwife, or Bridgerton. A multitalented performer, she also sings with her band Marry Me Emilie.

RICHARD COYLE and INDIRA VARMA as The Gardiners

Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Night Manager) and Richard Coyle (Heads of State, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) take on the roles of Mary Bennet's aunt and uncle. Roisin Bhalla, Reggie Absalom and Jasmine Sharp have also been brought on board to play their three children.

RICHARD E. GRANT and RUTH JONES as The Bennets

The BBC are clearly pulling out all the stops to try and win the Bennet casting battle here, with beloved British actor Richard E Grant (Withnail and I) and Ruth Jones (Gavin and Stacy) taking up the roles of Mr and Mrs Bennet. Looks like, between Ruth Jones and Olivia Coleman, we have a Bennet-off on our hands.

THE BENNET SISTERS

To play the other Bennet sisters, the BBC are calling on some fresher faces: Maddie Close plays Jane, Poppy Gilbert plays Lizzy, Molly Wright plays Kitty, and Grace Hogg-Robinson plays Lydia.

OTHER CHARACTERS

The BBC press release let's us know they'll be adding new characters to the beloved cast of characters. I'm particularly keen to see Tanya Reynolds of Sex Education fame take on the role of Caroline Bingley after she nailed her performance as the similarly odious Augusta Elton in 2020's Emma.

What do you think? Are you happy with this casting? How do you think it compares to the Netflix casting?

Ellen White is editor of the Jane Austen blog. If you would like to contribute to the blog, she would love to hear from you. Follow this link for more details.