BritBox reveals first look at The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special
Mary Bennet is about to become Mrs Hayward — and viewers have just seen her first step into married life.
BritBox has released a first look, meaning officially shared early images, at a three-part The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special due this holiday season, as reported by Variety. The special continues the story of Mary Bennet, the often-overlooked middle sister from Pride and Prejudice.
Ella Bruccoleri returns as Mary. Dónal Finn returns as Tom Hayward. The proposal stuck. In the Season 1 finale, Tom asked Mary to marry him and she said yes.
The Christmas story starts there. Its logline, meaning its one-sentence plot summary, asks a simple question. With marriage comes a new identity, so who will Mary become as Mrs Hayward?
For fans, this means a reunion. Ruth Jones is back as Mrs Bennet, alongside Tanya Reynolds as Caroline Bingley, Laurie Davidson as Mr Ryder and Varada Sethu as Ann Baxter. Poppy Gilbert returns as Lizzie Darcy, Maddie Close as Jane Bingley, Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Wickham, Molly Wright as Kitty Buncock and Anna Fenton-Garvey as Charlotte Collins. Nerys Amber-Stocks joins the cast as Lucy, Mary's housemaid.
Behind the camera, the team is familiar. The series is based on Janice Hadlow's novel of the same name. Sarah Quintrell, who adapted Season 1, wrote the three episodes from new storylines by Hadlow. Asim Abbasi returns to direct. The show is produced by Bad Wolf for the BBC and BritBox North America.
New viewers can catch up quickly. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary resolves to reinvent herself after a humiliating ball, only for a visiting suitor to force her to face her place in the family, according to BritBox. Season 1 launched in the United Kingdom on Sunday 15 March, with the first five episodes released together on BBC iPlayer at 6am, the BBC said.
That launch found a large audience. The BBC said the series was its biggest launch for a new drama since May 2025, citing its own viewing figures in a statement.
The Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, the BBC confirmed. Filming, which took place primarily in Wales, has now wrapped, according to BBC News.
