First Look at The Other Bennet Sister Christmas Special

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Last Updated on September 20, 2026 by Stefanie Hutson

The first images have arrived from The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special, with Ella Bruccoleri returning as Mary Bennet alongside Dónal Finn, Ruth Jones, Tanya Reynolds and a number of other familiar faces. The three-part special recently wrapped filming in Wales and will continue Mary’s story where it concluded at the end of the original 10-episode series. 

What Is The Other Bennet Sister?

The Other Bennet Sister is based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, which reimagines the world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Mary Bennet, the bookish middle Bennet sister who receives far less attention in Austen’s original novel.

Rather than retelling Elizabeth and Darcy’s story, it follows Mary as she tries to work out what kind of life she wants for herself in Regency England, where marriage, family expectations, social structures, and the oppression of women influence the options available to her. It may not be a series for the harshest Austen purists, but it's a fun imagining of what might have been.

What Do We Know About The Other Bennet Sister Christmas Special?

The special picks up after the events of the first season, with Mary facing another major change in her life and trying to work out what that means for her future. The first-look image shows Mary and Tom together on a picnic in the countryside, offering an early glimpse at where their relationship has gone since viewers last saw them. Other familiar members of the Bennet family and Mary’s wider circle will also return for the new episodes.

Spoiler warning: The following paragraph includes details from the end of The Other Bennet Sister Season 1. 

Skip ahead if you don't want to read the spoiler.

The tenth episode ended with Mary agreeing to marry Tom Hayward, and the Christmas special will find her adjusting to life as Mrs. Hayward. That raises a question very much in keeping with the themes of the original series: after spending so much time trying to establish an identity beyond the expectations placed on a Bennet daughter, who does Mary want to be now that marriage has given her another new role?

Who’s Returning for the Christmas Special?

Ella Bruccoleri returns as Mary, with Dónal Finn (SAS Rogue Heroes, Young Sherlock) back as Tom Hayward. Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Stella) reprises her role as Mrs. Bennet, while Poppy Gilbert returns as Lizzie Darcy, Maddie Close as Jane Bingley, Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Wickham and Molly Wright as Kitty Buncock. Anna Fenton-Garvey is also back as Charlotte Collins.

Beyond the Bennet sisters, Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, Ted Lasso) returns as Caroline Bingley, Laurie Davidson (The Girlfriend, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story) as Mr. Ryder and Varada Sethu (Doctor Who, Andor) as Ann Baxter.

There’s also one newcomer confirmed so far: Nerys Amber Stocks (Out There, Mammoth) will play Lucy, Mary’s housemaid.

Who’s Making the New Episodes?

Sarah Quintrell, who wrote nine of the original season’s 10 episodes, has written all three parts of the Christmas special. The stories are based on new storylines from Janice Hadlow, author of the novel on which the series is based.

Asim Abbasi has also returned to direct. He previously directed five episodes of the first season. Bad Wolf, whose other credits include His Dark Materials and Industry, produces the special. Janice Hadlow and Sarah Quintrell are among the executive producers, alongside representatives from Bad Wolf, the BBC and BritBox.

The Other Bennet Sister Has Been a Major Hit for BritBox

The first season performed particularly well with North American viewers. According to BritBox, during its first 90 days the series brought in five times more new subscribers than any previous launch on the service and had the highest streaming rate of any title at launch. BritBox also says 47% of its active subscribers watched the series during that period.

With that kind of performance, it's not at all surprising to see it coming back so quickly.

When Will The Other Bennet Sister Christmas Special Premiere?

For viewers in the US and Canada, the three-part Other Bennet Sister Christmas special will stream exclusively on BritBox. In the UK, it will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. An exact premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, but BritBox has confirmed that the special is coming during the 2026 holiday season.

The complete first season is already available on BritBox in the US, so there’s still plenty of time to catch up before Christmas.