BBC has a series adaptation of the novel The Other Bennet Sister in development

The BBC will tell the story of The Other Bennet Sister, an adaptation of a novel written by Janice Hadlow. The book tells the story of Mary Bennet - the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Unlike her sisters, Mary is not a typical period drama heroine. She is clumsy, anxious, preachy, full of facts and overlooked by her mother. She seems destined to be alone for the rest of her life, until Mary takes matters into her own hands.



Hadlow's book (pictured, centre) was published in 2020. She is a former BBC Two executive whose credits include The Great British Bake Off, Line of Duty and Wolf Hall during her tenure.

The Other Bennet Sister is being written by The Power creator Sarah Quintrell (pictured, right). Bad Wolf, who is currently seeing BBC-HBO hit Industry perform well on both sides of the pond, is producing.

The Other Bennet Sister will air on the 30th anniversary of the BBC's hugely successful version of Pride and Prejudice (1995), starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

BBC Drama Director Lindsay Salt said: “The BBC’s Pride and Prejudice will forever be a classic moment in television history, and it’s incredibly exciting to return to Jane Austen’s irresistible world and go even further than before – this time in the footsteps of The Other Bennet Sister, Mary.”

The Other Bennet Sister was commissioned by Salt. Executive producers are Kate Crowther, Becca Kinder and Jane Tranter for Bad Wolf, Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC, Quintrell and Hadlow. The series is developed and overseen by Bad Wolf's Director of Content, Dan McCulloch.