Catch Up Fast: Where to Watch BBC's The Other Bennet Sister Before Part 2 Drops
BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister has viewers hooked, reframing Pride and Prejudice through Mary Bennet, played by Ella Bruccoleri, before charting her own path. Based on Janice Hadlow’s novel, here’s how Jane Austen fans can watch.
If you have ever wished Pride and Prejudice would stop cutting to Lizzy and Darcy every five minutes and let Mary Bennet have a turn, the BBC heard you. The Other Bennet Sister hands the piano-playing wallflower the mic, and it is a smarter, thornier, more surprising ride than you might expect.
What it is (and where it goes)
Adapted from Janice Hadlow's novel, the series replays the Pride and Prejudice saga from Mary Bennet's point of view before striking out on its own path. Once the family drama settles, Mary leaves Longbourn for new horizons - London first, then the Lake District - and the overlooked Bennet finally gets a full-on Regency-era romantic adventure. It is a BBC series, with Bad Wolf involved on the production side.
Where to watch
In the U.K., it premiered in March and is streaming on BBC iPlayer right now. In the U.S. (and Canada), it lands May 6 on BritBox. If you prefer to stack subscriptions the easy way, BritBox is also available through Amazon Prime Video Channels, which offers a 7-day free trial.
Who is in it
- Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet
- Ruth Jones
- Richard E. Grant
- Indira Varma
- Richard Coyle
- Róisín Bhalla
- Reggie Absolom
- Jasmine Sharp
- Laurie Davidson
- Dónal Finn
- Varada Sethu
- Aaron Gill
- Maddie Close
- Poppy Gilbert
- Molly Wright
- Grace Hogg-Robinson
- Tanya Reynolds
- Anna Fenton-Garvey
- Ryan Sampson
- Lucy Briers
Why this version of Mary hits different
Ella Bruccoleri has been clear: the show treats Mary as someone who grew up hearing she lacked what her sisters had, internalized that, and then starts to rewrite the story once she is out from under her family roof. She stumbles (often), but the theme is less swooning over a gentleman and more about what kindness can actually do for a person who has spent years trying to be 'acceptable' by cramming for the role.
'It looks like a love story, but to me it is really a love story between Mary and herself.'
The actor also admits she clicked with Mary's grind: a character who studies how to be pleasing - to her sisters, to her mother, to everyone - and still misses the mark. Bruccoleri relates to that intensity, saying she prepares obsessively and works through study more than instinct. Translation: expect a Mary who is analytical, awkward, and, eventually, genuinely transformed rather than just paired off.