Who’s Who in The Other Bennet Sister’s Love Triangle: From Mary to Tom Hayward
BritBox hit The Other Bennet Sister is taking the internet by storm, flipping Pride and Prejudice to Mary Bennet’s view and thrusting Ella Bruccoleri’s overlooked heroine into a steamy Regency love triangle that has Austen fans buzzing.
Mary Bennet is finally getting her shot at main-character energy, and yes, there is a love triangle. BritBox has The Other Bennet Sister lined up for U.S. viewers, and if you like your Regency drama with longing glances and actual stakes for the overlooked sister, this one is loudly clearing its throat at you.
The setup
Based on Janice Hadlow's novel, The Other Bennet Sister replays the Pride and Prejudice timeline from Mary Bennet's point of view, then breaks away to follow her on her own trip through London and the Lake District. Translation: the quiet sister from the Bennet family gets out of the drawing room and into a proper Regency romance of her own. Ella Bruccoleri leads as Mary.
Where and when to watch
It premiered in the U.K. in March and is already up on BBC iPlayer. In the U.S. and Canada, it lands May 6 on BritBox. If you go through Amazon Prime Channels, there is a 7‑day BritBox free trial in the mix. BritBox also dropped the official trailer ahead of the U.S. launch, so romance fans can start picking sides early.
So, about that love triangle
The show steers Mary into a very watchable tug-of-heartstrings between Mr. Hayward (Dónal Finn) and Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson). Different vibes, both compelling, and very intentionally engineered to test your patience about who she should end up with.
The cast
- Ella Bruccoleri
- 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
Meet the triangle players
Ella Bruccoleri anchors the series as Mary. You might have seen her on BBC One's Call the Midwife, Bridgerton, Ludwig, Down Cemetery Road, and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials. The notes also list her as Dollface in all of The Strangers movies, which is a surprising credit if you know those films, but that is what is being circulated.
Dónal Finn steps in as Mr. Hayward and makes a strong impression. On screen, he has popped up in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, The Wheel of Time, and Young Sherlock. On stage, he has racked up roles in Sing Street, Hadestown, and John Proctor is the Villain in London.
Laurie Davidson brings scene-stealing energy as Mr. Ryder. His recent run includes Cats, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, Will, Guilty Party, Masters of the Air, and The Girlfriend.
Bottom line
If you have always wanted Pride and Prejudice to stop cutting away from Mary, this is the spin-off energy you were waiting for. UK folks can catch up on iPlayer now; everyone else gets it May 6 on BritBox. Pick a side: Team Hayward or Team Ryder.