BBC audiences have been heaping praise on a new period drama inspired by a beloved book after watching every episode. The Other Bennet Sister is a series based on Janice Hadlow's chart-topping novel, offering a reimagining of Jane Austen's timeless Pride and Prejudice.
Rather than spotlighting Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, this 10-episode TV adaptation follows Mary Bennet, who was raised being labelled the plain, bookish sister among a household of lively personalities. The programme charts Mary's path towards finding herself following her father's unexpected passing.
Lead character Mary is played by Call The Midwife and Bridgerton actress Ella Bruccoleri, while the production boasts impressive talent, including Richard E. Grant as Mr Bennet and Ruth Jones as her domineering mother, Mrs Bennet. 'Everyone across the board was perfectly cast in the show,' Ella told the BBC. 'It just makes your job really easy because you're playing across from people that are not only really good but who inhabit their characters very fully.'
The series has earned a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been lauded as surpassing Pride and Prejudice itself, reports the Express. One viewer wrote: 'This show is a masterpiece. Can't begin to tell you how heart-wrenching and uplifting this is for me. All of it - the writing, wardrobe, locations. It's truly outstanding.'
Another enthused: 'Refreshing, delightful, lighthearted, all the good feelings you want to feel, all wrapped in this series.' A third remarked: 'The Other Bennet Sister might be better than Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton.' The series is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
