‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Is Getting a Three-Part Christmas Special and Mary Bennet’s Story Is Far From Over
Jane Austen’s fictional universe has never exactly been short on adaptations, but every so often a new entry arrives that reminds audiences why these stories endure. ‘The Other Bennet Sister,’ the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ spinoff built around the oft-forgotten middle Bennet daughter, did exactly that when it premiered on BBC One in March and landed on BritBox in the United States in May. Starring Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet, the show earned a near-perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus praising it as cozy, charming, and full of heart. For a show built around a character Jane Austen herself once dismissed with a famously backhanded description, that reception is nothing short of remarkable.
The series is based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, following Mary as she navigates the societal pressures of Regency-era England. Where most adaptations relegate her to background comic relief, this one hands her the full protagonist treatment. Series creator and writer Sarah Quintrell adapted Hadlow’s novel across ten episodes, centering Mary’s journey from self-conscious wallflower to a woman who slowly begins to own her own story. Critics and audiences embraced the show’s warmth, its grounded tone, and especially its lead performance. Bruccoleri brings a late bloomer’s coming-of-age arc to life, with the series adding context and interiority that gives Mary a growth arc highlighting her similarities to Austen’s archetypal heroines.
The numbers behind the show’s success made a follow-up all but inevitable. In the United Kingdom, ‘The Other Bennet Sister’ became the biggest launch of a new drama across all platforms and streamers since May 2025, drawing 7.3 million viewers in its first 28 days. Across the Atlantic, it drove five times more new subscribers to BritBox in its first five weeks than any previous launch on the service, helping the streamer achieve the strongest quarter of subscriber growth in its history. Those are not the numbers of a show that quietly finds its audience. Those are the numbers of a phenomenon.
Now, the world of Mary Bennet is officially expanding. BritBox and the BBC have confirmed a three-episode Christmas special is in the works, with Sarah Quintrell returning to write all three parts based on storylines by Hadlow, and series director Asim Abbasi also coming back. Ella Bruccoleri will reprise her role as Mary, joined by other familiar faces from the series. The special is set to film primarily in Wales over the summer, with episodes running approximately 30 minutes each.
The finale of the main series saw Mary agreeing to marry Tom Hayward, meaning the Christmas episodes will pick up the story from that point, exploring what life looks like after the wedding bells have faded. Bad Wolf producer Jane Tranter captured the mood of the announcement well, describing the response to the series as having exceeded even the most optimistic expectations and noting that the specials offer a chance to spend more time with characters audiences have taken to their hearts. BritBox’s Jess O’Riordan added in a statement to Deadline that audiences have fallen deeply in love with Mary Bennet and that the show’s story continuing into three new chapters is cause for genuine celebration.
A specific premiere date has yet to be announced, but the Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom and exclusively on BritBox in the United States and Canada. With production set to begin this summer and the holiday season still ahead, the wait should be a manageable one. Whether you fell for Mary’s bookish awkwardness from the very first episode or came to the series late, now is the perfect time to weigh in: are you hoping the Christmas special gives Mary and Tom a fairytale chapter, or do you think a little more Regency-era turbulence is exactly what this story needs?
