LONDON — BBC and BritBox announced a three-part Christmas special for "The Other Bennet Sister" set to film in summer 2026. The announcement follows the series finale on June 24, 2026, when Mary Bennet accepted Thomas Hayward's marriage proposal after declining one from William Ryder.

Mary Bennet, portrayed by Ella Bruccoleri, rejected Ryder's proposal in the series finale. Ryder, played by Laurie Davidson, asked Mary to be his mistress and is named Lady Catherine de Bourgh's heir. "I think for Ryder, he feels like he's listened and he understands now. He's like, 'I have what you wanted,' you know?" Davidson said. "And so the brutality of when she rejects him then hits so much harder because actually he's now got nothing else to offer." Dónal Finn plays Mr. Thomas Hayward.

Mary Bennet moves to London and resides with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. Her relocation follows her father's death, after which she nannies her cousins. Hayward returns to London after receiving a letter from Caroline Bingley, portrayed by Tanya Reynolds. Bingley thanked Mary for assistance after Bingley was injured during a storm in the Lake District.

Mary Bennet works as a governess and writer at the end of the series. Sarah Quintrell, head writer and executive producer, said in an interview that "It's classic Mary, not to see what's standing right in front of her." Quintrell added, "I wanted to show that she's somebody who, on her journey, understands the way that the world has treated her and decides not to treat people the same way." Bruccoleri prepared for her role by reading "Pride and Prejudice" for the first time and worked with movement coach Lucie Pankhurst to learn period social etiquette.

Bruccoleri noted in an interview that she and the production team aimed to push against tropes where female characters remove glasses for romantic scenes or soften their appearance. "There's this trope, isn't there, where she lets her down, she's beautiful, everyone gasps," Bruccoleri said. "Or it'd be this insidious thing of just for those romantic scenes, she doesn't have her glasses on, and they soften the way she looks a little bit." She also mentioned focusing on a physical manifestation of Mary's frustrations: a raw area on her hand. "The makeup artists were amazing, because every day they would make that a bit raw and put prosthetics around the fingers," Bruccoleri said.

Why It Matters

The series, an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice" based on Janice Hadlow's 2020 novel, consists of ten episodes. BritBox reported in a statement that "The Other Bennet Sister" generated five times more new subscribers in its first five weeks compared to any other series.