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BritBox Reveals First Look at 'The Other Bennet Sister' Christmas Special
Confirmed
In Short: BritBox has unveiled a first look at the Christmas special for 'The Other Bennet Sister,' a hit adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel.
BritBox has unveiled a first look at the Christmas special for 'The Other Bennet Sister,' a hit adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel, which follows the story of Mary Bennet, the oft-overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.
The special, which resumes after the events of season one, will feature returning cast members including Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet and Dónal Finn as Tom Hayward, who proposed to Mary in the season one finale.
Series writer Sarah Quintrell has penned all three episodes from storylines by author Janice Hadlow, while series director Asim Abbasi returns to Longbourn for another bout with the Bennets.
The Christmas special, which will air exclusively in the US and Canada on BritBox and in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, has generated significant anticipation among fans.
The series, which took the internet by storm when it dropped in May 2026, has driven five times more new subscribers than any previous launch on BritBox, achieving the highest streaming rate of any title launch on the service.
According to BritBox, nearly half (47%) of its active subscribers have watched the series, which also helped drive the strongest quarter of subscriber growth in BritBox history and the service’s highest-ever week of signups.
The special will premiere in time for the holiday season, but an official release date has yet to be announced.
Fans are eager to see how the newlyweds navigate married life and what new storylines will unfold in the three-part special.
BritBox's success with 'The Other Bennet Sister' has proven that period dramas can still captivate modern audiences, driving significant subscriber growth for the streamer.
The Christmas special is a continuation of the story of Mary Bennet, who has become a beloved character among viewers, and promises to deliver more of the humor, self-discovery, and societal pressures of Regency England that fans have come to love.
What this adds
The Christmas special will premiere in time for the holiday season, but an official release date has yet to be announced.
The series has driven five times more new subscribers than any previous launch on BritBox, achieving the highest streaming rate of any title launch on the service.
According to BritBox, nearly half (47%) of its active subscribers have watched the series, which also helped drive the strongest quarter of subscriber growth in BritBox history and the service’s highest-ever week of signups.
Background
The Christmas special for 'The Other Bennet Sister' sees Mary Bennet and Tom Hayward embark on married life.
The Other Bennet Sister is a British period drama television series produced by Bad Wolf for BBC One. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, a continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and follows Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet, Dónal Finn as Mr Hayward and Laurie Davidson as Mr Ryder.
What's confirmed
- Not one to let a smash hit slip delicately from its fingers, BritBox has unveiled a first look at its forthcoming Christmas special for The Other Bennet Sister, the splendid adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name.
- Ruth Jones, Dónal Finn, Tanya Reynolds, and Laurie Davidson are among the returning cast members for the special with series star Ella Bruccoleri.
- The Other Bennet Sister took the internet by storm when it dropped in May 2026, and after 10 episodes of unbelievable yearning, hilarious boating accidents, and self-discovery, Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Tom Ryder (Dónal Finn) are returning as newlyweds in a brand new Christmas special.
- If you're a 90s or 00s baby like me, then you know how much of a lost art the Christmas special is.
- You can watch the Christmas special on BritBox soon!
- BritBox is giving a first look at the three-part Christmas special The Other Bennet Sister starring Ella Bruccoleri and Dónal Finn.
- The Other Bennet Sister continues the story of Mary Bennet following the events of the first 10 episodes.
- Bennet, Tanya Reynolds as Caroline Bingley, Varada Sethu as Ann Baxter (oh?!), Poppy Gilbert as Lizzie Darcy, Maddie Close as Jane Bingley, Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Wickham, Molly Wright as Kitty Buncock, and Anna Fenton-Garvey as Charlotte Collins.
- The holiday special will stream Stateside on BritBox, but a release date has yet to be announced.
- BritBox has an early holiday gift for fans of "The Other Bennet Sister." The streamer on Saturday unveiled a first look at the period drama's upcoming Christmas special, which recently wrapped production in Wales.
- In the full photo below, newlyweds Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) enjoy a picnic together, but it looks like the outing is accompanied by serious conversation, judging by the focused looks on both Mary's and her new husband's faces.
- What do you hope to see in these Christmas episodes?
What's still developing
- The three-part event will once again turn its attention to poor, overlooked Mary, the eponymous and bookish Bennet sister who, until recently, never got no respect * adjusts tie * beside her more celebrated sisters in Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice.
- Mary is wearing bright colors and Tom looks dapper.
- In the featured image we see Mary and Tom having what looks like an intimate picnic.
- And while this gentle reader, writer, and watcher was never worried that star Ella Bruccoleri would indeed be joined by co-star Dónal Finn for the new special, consider the Hayward reunion officially official today.
- Ryder, it seems, as star Laurie Davidson is also confirmed to be returning for the special.
- Earlier this year, producer Jane Tranter told Variety that while “The Other Bennet Sister” was conceived as a limited series, “the characters just live on.” She said any further seasons “really depends on Janice and her thinking.” “At the moment we’re concentrating on looking at the novels of Jane Austen, because that’s what we always set out to do,” Tranter added.
- However I’ve also included some honorable mentions of other 5-star books published before 2026 that I read for the first time this year, at the bottom of this list.
- Last we left off, the tenth episode of the series saw Mary agreeing to wed Tom after a heartwarming confession.