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As BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister comes to an end, the brains behind the Pride and Prejudice spin-off talk about paying homage to the classic novel.
The new period drama, inspired by Jane Austen’s widely-loved 1813 romance and based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel, follows forgotten Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri), who must find her place in the world away from the harsh gaze of her mother, Mrs Bennet (Ruth Jones).
The first five episodes, which came out earlier this month, won over the nation and left fans in tears with their exploration of Mary’s loneliness and journey to self-love.
The mid-season cliffhanger saw Mary called to Pemberley after her mother takes ill, leaving behind two romantic prospects in London in a flurry of panic.
Although the show takes on a life of its own, beyond the novel, writer Sarah Quintrell and director Jennifer Sheridan wanted to make sure devoted fans could spot their little nods to what has come before, as they explained to Metro.
‘There are a couple of nods in the show. They’re very subtle, so I think only hardcore fans will spot them,’ Jennifer explained.
As some may have already noticed, Mary’s maid, Mrs Hill, is played by Lucy Briers, who herself starred as Mary in the 1995 adaptation (a firm favourite for our creative duo who have watched upwards of ’20 times’)
‘Mrs. Hill is the first character to offer any kindness to Mary. When I finished writing her, I messaged the other execs. I was like: “We could get Lucy”, and I was so thrilled that she agreed to come and do it,’ Sarah explained.
Another acting tidbit is the choice to cast Indira Varma as the kindly Mrs Gardiner. No doubt many will recognise her as Kiran (the desi Caroline) Bingley in 2004’s Bride and Prejudice.
Elsewhere, they were attempting to squeeze in the Pride and Prejudice plot without taking up too much screentime.
Sarah explained: ‘I wanted Pride and Prejudice fans to know where we were in the timeline but every time I tried to give dialogue to Lizzie and Jane around the Bingley situation, they’d like: “No, this is Mary’s story” and I’d be asked to whack it out.
‘There’s a dinner scene where they’re expecting a letter, and they think it’s from Bingley. As soon as they reference Bingley, Jane sneezes, and that’s all I had space for to reference that whole story.’
Certainly, Ella’s interpretation of this underdeveloped literary character is both endearing and powerful, leaping off the screen.
‘I lead BBC’s Pride and Prejudice spin-off – I hope people give it a chance’
‘Someone told me Lizzie Bennet is who Jane Austen wants to be, Mary Bennet is who she’s afraid she is.’
It’s one of the many pearls of wisdom TV star Ella Bruccolerri shares ahead of her debut in The Other Bennet Sister, where she plays our heroine Mary.
Jennifer and Sarah knew they wanted to cast her the moment she left the audition room.
‘She’s got this inherent vulnerability. She’s got these big, beautiful eyes. You just really care about her as soon as you meet her, you want to protect her from life, even though she’s very, very strong and doesn’t need protecting.
I just thought that she had the Maryest quality about her, that inner strength where she doesn’t like to conform to everyone,’ Jennifer said adding that she’s ‘never worked with an actor who was so prepared’.
It was a sentiment echoed by Sarah, who recalled: ‘I used to see her scripts, and she had a little notebook, it was so Mary, with the tiny detailed writing. Every scene, she knew exactly where she was.
‘Casting Mary was about having enough experience to pick this show up and stick it on their shoulders, because she’s in every frame.
‘She can make you cry and make you laugh in about a minute. And I remember she left the room I was like: “Just give her the job. Let’s just do it now. Oh, my God. What are we waiting for?”.’
There’s no denying that Mary is an unconventional Austen heroine, but both emphasised how important a story like hers is to portray on screen.
‘I was drawn to the novel because I feel like we very rarely put women like Mary at the centre of our story.
‘Young women like Mary don’t get their own show, their own period drama. And when I was told it was Mary Bennet and Pride and Prejudice was happening to my left, obviously, I was immediately sold,’ Sarah reflected.
Moreover, she believes the themes are just as resonant today.
‘Coming of age when you’re the odd one out is a really important story to tell as a woman.
‘When the values that society has placed on you don’t suit you, how do you find your place in the world? Ultimately, this was always a story for me about the transformative power of kindness on a young life. And I honestly can’t think of a better time to be telling that.’
Of course, it’s a big year for Pride and Prejudice lovers with the Netflix adaptation also set to come out. In the end, viewers are always coming to this story because it has so much offer in the way of ‘yearning’ and more.
‘You’re so often not the best version of yourself, especially in your 20s, but you’re still figuring out who you are. I love that Darcy changes, because Elizabeth holds up a mirror to him and allows him to see his faults, and it’s only his love for her that allows him the humility to do that,’ Jennifer reflected.
Especially when it comes to Mary, this is not only a story of self-empowerment but a love story too – and it’s all about finding that balance, as we’ll discover in the final episodes.
As Sarah put it: ‘The romance had to count, so I was juggling that.
‘It does feel really modern, that it is about somebody learning to just have some self-confidence and love themselves and accept themselves.
‘We don’t change her. She never stops being a pedant. She never learns to say the right thing in the right situation. She never takes her glasses off. She doesn’t get her hair done.’
All 10 episodes of The Other Bennet Sister are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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