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It turns out that the wallflower was a star all along.
The Other Bennet Sister, a new TV series about the oft-misunderstood and dismissed middle sister in Pride & Prejudice, was so beloved after it premiered in March that the BBC is bringing the show back for a three-part Christmas special.
According to the BBC, the delightful spinoff was the biggest new drama across all platforms and streamers in the U.K. since March 2025, with 6.5 million watching in its first 28 days. Episode one reached 9.5 million viewers (7.3 million over 28-days) and the show has also generated 250 million views across the BBC’s accounts on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook thus far.
According to Variety, the show also broke records on BritBox, driving five times more new subscribers than any previous launch and achieving the highest streaming rate of any title launch on the service. Needless to say, we’re all quite smitten.
Good news, then, because there are new photos from the special that have just come out and they’re giving us all the warm fuzzies possible. Take a gander below and read on for everything else we know about the upcoming holiday episodes.
What is The Other Bennet Sister about?
Based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, as well as Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Other Bennet Sister centers on Mary (played by Ella Bruccoleri), the misunderstood, often-overlooked middle sister of the Bennet household. While her elder four siblings (Lizzy, Jane, Kitty, Lydia) are obsessing over men and going to balls, Mary seeks a different path. Traveling to London to live with her aunt and uncle, she starts a journey of self-discovery and becomes the protagonist in her own story.
What will happen in the Other Bennet Sister Christmas special?
Spoilers ahead!
In the last episode of the series, Mary agreed to marry Tom. But now, as Mary questions who she is as Mrs. Hayward (a married woman), an unexpected visitor from her past arrives at her door in need of her help.
Who is the cast in The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special? Who’s returning?
In the new images, we see Ella Bruccoleri (Down Cemetery Road, Wicker) as Mary and Dónal Finn (Young Sherlock, SAS Rogue Heroes) as Tom, Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Runaway) as Mrs Bennet, Tanya Reynolds (Ted Lasso, Sex Education) as Caroline Bingley, Laurie Davidson (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, The Girlfriend) as Mr Ryder, Poppy Gilbert (My Oxford Year, Chloe) as Lizzie Darcy, Maddie Close (Chasing Red) as Jane Bingley, Grace Hogg-Robinson (The Coroner, COBRA) as Lydia Wickham, and Molly Wright (The A Word, APOSTASY) as Kitty Buncock.
New cast members include Nerys Amber Stocks (Out There, Mammoth) as Lucy, the Haywards’ housekeeper.
Who is behind the The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special?
Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell (The Power, Ellen), who wrote nine of the 10 episodes of the series, has written all three additional episodes based on storylines by author Janice Hadlow. Asim Abbasi (Cake) is directing again.
When is The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special coming out?
A release date has not yet been announced, but we do know the new installments are expected in December 2026.
How to watch The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special:
It’ll stream in the U.S. and Canada on BritBox.