The Other Bennet Sister Will Return For A Christmas Special

BBC recent hit The Other Bennet Sister, which stars Ella Bruccoleri as the often-overlooked Mary Bennet, has wowed both Austen readers and forearm fans.

Despite its popularity (the series attracted over 7.3 million viewers in its first four weeks), lovers of the Pride and Prejudice adaptation have previously been left in the dark as to whether we can expect a new season.

We still don’t know about a season two. But the BBC shared some welcome news on Wednesday, 24 June: filming is “about to start” for a Christmas special of the show. 

Even better, it’s going to be a three-parter, the broadcaster said. 

(Warning: spoilers for The Other Bennet Sister below).

The special will follow what happens after Mary and Tom Hayward (Donal Finn) settle into their new life. 

Executive producer Jane Tranter said it’ll show “what happens after the wedding bells fade and real life begins”. The festive episodes will be produced by Bad Wolf, the company which was also involved in the now-cancelled Doctor Who Christmas special.

Filming is set to begin in the summer of 2026 and will take place mostly in Wales. 

BBC Drama director Lindsay Salt said, “We could not be happier to announce this new three-part Christmas gift to her millions of fans”. 

And Tranter said the fan response to the series had “exceeded even our most optimistic expectations,” adding, “These Christmas specials give us the chance to spend a little more time with characters audiences have taken to their hearts”.

In an interview with Variety, meanwhile, Bruccoleri shared her thoughts on what might happen after the end of season one. 

“Would they have children, or is that not for them? Because Mary is not naturally very maternal,” she told the publication.

“She develops friendships with the kids once she lets her guard down a bit, but I think it would be like a big decision for her. I can see them having this beautiful, equitable, quite progressive relationship for the time, where they both make decisions equally, and prioritise each other’s happiness.

“And I can see Mary continuing with her governessing. The last bit of the show is when Sarah was really up and down on whether it should be Mary writing a book. Because it was like, ‘Is it too obvious?’. That she becomes a sort of Jane Austen figure, and ends up writing for other people,” she added.

She ended, “I could see them being happy together and living a kind of bohemian London life.” 

We’ll have to wait until that Christmas special kicks off to see how her predictions stack up to the series.