'Other Bennet Sister' Christmas Special First Look Revealed — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- BritBox revealed a first look at a three-part "The Other Bennet Sister" Christmas special that recently wrapped production in Wales, with Dónal Finn and Ella Bruccoleri confirmed to reprise Tom and Mary Hayward.
- Laurie Davidson is set to return as Mr. Ryder alongside Ruth Jones (Mrs. Bennet), Tanya Reynolds (Caroline Bingley), Varada Sethu (Ann Baxter), Poppy Gilbert (Lizzie Darcy), and Nerys Amber-Stocks joining as Mary's housemaid Lucy.
- Sarah Quintrell wrote all three additional episodes based on storylines by author Janice Hadlow, with series director Asim Abbasi returning to direct.
- The original 10-episode series became the UK's biggest drama across all platforms and streamers since May 2025, and more than 40% of new BritBox subscribers in the US and Canada have watched the show.
- The special will air in the US and Canada on BritBox and in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, timed for the holiday season — though despite the Christmas billing, it will not feature a holiday storyline.
Why it matters: BBC and BritBox secure a flagship holiday asset with a proven subscriber track record — over 40% of new BritBox subscribers in the US and Canada watched the original series, which has been the UK's biggest drama across all platforms since May 2025. The special gives the streamers a tentpole return for Mary Hayward at Christmas, even if the episodes skip an actual holiday plotline.
Ask SkimNews
