'The Other Bennet Sister' Season 2: Everything We Know
There's more from the BBC Limited Series still to come—and the team behind the show is interested in more Jane Austen retellings.
The Other Bennet Sister is the delightful comfort watch that took over the internet in 2026. Based on Janice Hadlow's novel of the same name, the BBC and BritBox's period drama is a retelling of Pride & Prejudice, focusing on Mary, the titular, often overlooked middle child of the Bennet family. While Jane Austen adaptations are nothing new, The Other Bennet Sister stands out with its charming focus on giving the late bloomer both the rom-com treatment and her own journey of self-discovery.
Though U.K. viewers were the first to fall in love with The Other Bennet Sister, the historical romance later arrived stateside, with the series finale landing on BritBox on June 24. Fans who are mourning the end of their new favorite show may be wondering whether Mary's story will continue. Read on for everything we know about the future of The Other Bennet Sister.
Everything We Know About the Return of 'The Other Bennet' Sister
William Ryder (Laurie Davidson) and Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) in The Other Bennet Sister.
Is 'The Other Bennet Sister' renewed for season 2?
Unfortunately for fans, Mary Bennet's story has (mostly) come to an end. The Other Bennet Sister is billed as a limited series, and the 10-episode season is a complete adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel, so it doesn't look like the series will return for future seasons.
Of course, limited series tend to find ways to live on if they're popular enough. According to The Radio Times, The Other Bennet Sister became the BBC's biggest drama launch of the last 12 months, with the first episode drawing 7.3 million viewers in its first 28 days on BBC One and iPlayer.
Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) will return for her own holiday special.
Will 'The Other Bennet Sister' return for more episodes?
The Other Bennet Sister fans are getting more episodes! On the day of the BritBox series's finale, the streamer announced that Mary Bennet and co. will return for a three-part Christmas special, answering fans's pleas for a bit more time with their favorite Bennet.
"We know how much audiences have fallen in love with Mary Bennet, and we’re thrilled that her story isn’t over yet," Jess O’Riordan, Executive Producer and Commissioning Executive for BritBox, said in a statement. "We are so pleased Mary’s story will continue for three more chapters and to welcome audiences back into the world of The Other Bennet Sister this holiday season."
The main cast of The Other Bennet Sister will return for the forthcoming Christmas special
When will 'The Other Bennet Sister' Christmas Special come out?
There isn't an official release date for the special episodes of The Other Bennet Sister yet. According to a press release shared in late October, "production recently wrapped." The release unveiled a handful of first-look images, which you can see throughout this story.
The three-part special may have filmed under a quick turnaround, filming in summer and early fall 2026, but it seems it should arrive in time for Christmas 2026. At this rate, we suspect it will arrive sometime in December.
The Other Bennet Sister initially premiered in the U.K. before the U.S., and it's yet to be confirmed whether the holiday special will follow the same rollout. When it does debut, it'll air in the U.S. and Canada on BritBox and the U.K. on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
The new episodes will introduce a new character played by Nerys Amber-Stocks.
Which cast members will return for 'The Other Bennet Sister' Christmas special?
You'll be able to cozy up with all of your favorite Bennets and their friends this holiday season. Of course, Ella Bruccoleri will reprise her role as Mary Bennet, and Dónal Finn will return as her now-husband Tom Hayward. We'll also see more of Poppy Gilbert (Lizzie Bennet), Maddie Close (Jane Bennet), Molly Wright (Kitty Bennet), Grace Hogg (Lydia Bennet), Ruth Jones (Mrs. Bennet), Laurie Davidson (William Ryder), and Tanya Reynolds (Caroline Bingley).
We'll also meet Lucy, the Hayward family housekeeper. She'll be played by Welsh actress Nerys Amber Stocks.
Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) and Mary will adjust to married life in the coming episodes.
What will 'The Other Bennet Sister' Christmas special be about?
An official logline has been unveiled, revealing that the special—written by Quintrell and based on storylines by source author Janice Hadlow—will see the newlyweds adjust to domestic life after the wedding. It reads: "The 10th episode of the series saw Mary agreeing to wed Tom—but with marriage comes a new identity, and the question remains: who will Mary become as Mrs Hayward? But just as Mary begins this new chapter, an unexpected visitor from her past arrives at her door in need of her help…"
Executive producer Jane Tranter has also teased a few more details about the new episodes to IndieWire. The special won't see Mary celebrating Christmas, as "the Regency era wasn’t so big on [the holiday]."
“The thing that Janice was interested in is, Jane Austen always pulls the camera away, in her novelistic way, at the point of marriage,” Tranter told the outlet. “And I think it’s really because Jane Austen’s novels are about longing and about love, and once marriage has been found, Jane Austen herself knew well enough that it could easily not be a choice between marriage or misery, but marriage and misery. [She] doesn’t tread down that path and doesn’t delve in [to that], Jane Austen herself was never married and she doesn’t delve into that…but we were interested in seeing, but what if we did go into the next step of what life was going to be like for the Haywards?”
The Bennet sisters, from left: Jane (Maddie Close), Lizzie (Poppy Gilbert), Mary (Ella Bruccoleri), Kitty (Molly Wright), and Lydia (Grace Hogg-Robinson).
Will 'The Other Bennet Sister' get a spinoff?
Austenheads, rejoice! The BBC and BritBox have greenlit a spiritual sequel to The Other Bennet Sister. Based on author Janice Hadlow's forthcoming novel, The Other Elliot Sister will be a new series inspired by the Persuasion character Elizabeth Elliot. Deadline confirmed the book (due out in the U.K. in September 2027) will be adapted with showrunner Sarah Quintrell at the helm in November 2027.
The show about another undersung Austen character getting her main-character moment was previously rumored to be in the works. BBC Director of Drama Lindsay Salt had said during the Edinburgh TV Festival that they were eyeing The Other Elliot Sister and hoping to "do more in that world" of The Other Bennet Sister, per Tellyvisions.
Hadlow's latest period drama will turn its attention away from the reflective protagonist Anne Elliot and to the eldest daughter Elizabeth. In the original text, she's known for being vain and status-obsessed. We'll have to see what this literary remix does to her!
While we'll be able to pick up the book next fall, Deadline reports that filming will begin on the 10-part series sometime in 2027. So, it may not premiere until early 2028.
Months ago, the team behind The Other Bennet Sister hinted they were interested in exploring more of the Jane Austen canon. In a May 2026 interview with Variety, executive producer Jane Tranter said they were "thinking about" doing another Austen-related series.
"I think that Mary Bennet and the Bennet family continues to live on in our minds, so potentially," Tranter said when asked about the possibility of a new series starring the Bennets. "But Mary Bennet isn’t the only character in Jane Austen’s novels who Jane Austen gives a bit of a side eye to, and that is really what interests me."
How can I watch 'The Other Bennet Sister?'
The Other Bennet Sister is streaming on BritBox, with every episode out now. BritBox offers a seven-day free trial, after which a subscription starts at $10.99 per month.
As stated, it hasn't been announced when the Christmas specials drop, but there is a chance they could air in the U.K. on BBC iPlayer before BritBox in the U.S. If that's the case, you can use a VPN to watch. If you don't have a VPN, you can use one like Nord VPN.
