Adapted from the novel by Janice Hadlow (2020)
Written by Sarah Quintell & Maddie Dai
10 episode BBC TV series, on BBC iPlayer, 2026
CAST:
Ella Bruccoleri – Mary Bennett
Ruth Jones – Mrs Bennett
Richard E. Grant – Mr Bennett
Maddie Close- Jane Bennett
Poppy Gilbert – Elizabeth Darcy
Grace Hogg-Robinson – Lydia Bennett
Molly Wright – Kitty Bennett
Ryan Sampson – Mr Collins
Dónal Finn – Mr Hayward
Laurie Davidson – Mr Ryder
Tanya Reynolds- Caroline Bingley
Indira Varma – Mrs Gardiner
Richard Coyle – Mr Gardiner
Victor Pillard- Mr Darcy
Aled Owen – Mr Charles Bingley
Aaron Gill – Mr Sparrow
Lucy Briers- Mrs Hill
Varada Sethu- Anne Baxter
Sean Carlsen- Sir William Lucas
This is not so much a review as a recommendation. I’m not doing plot spoilers either, though the whole plot is on Wikipedia, episode by episode.
It’s fair to describe it as a rom-com in costume. Unusually, it’s in ten half hour episodes rather than the classic five or six 55 minute ones. That means it’s more like watching at sitcom length than classic serial. The episodes were released to iPlayer in two sets of five. They’re all there now.
There have been many Pride and Prejudice spin offs and there will be more. The secret here is focussing on the one Jane Austen has least to say about. Mary is tongue-tied, the plainest of the sister, sings poorly.
In Pride & Prejudice, Mr Bennett sarcastically says to his daughter:
What say you, Mary? for you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts.”
Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.
Later Austen says:
Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner.
Ella Bruccoleri plays Mary beautifully. It’s hard work trying to look downtrodden, mousy and unattractive when the actor is neither. She wrinkles her nose, curls her lip, peers, looks uncomfortably spare and awkward.
The cast is excellent. Ruth Jones is a Mrs Bennett far removed from her role as Nessie in Gavin & Stacey. But then we have seen several of the Gavin & Stacey cast in stage roles; Rob Bryden, James Corden, Matthew Horne, Alison Steadman, Sheridan Smith, Adrian Scarborough, and Ruth Jones. You have to be really good to do prime time sitcom.
Richard E. Grant as Mr Bennett only lasts two episodes but grabs attention while he’s there. Indira Varma is the aunt, Mrs Gardiner, who invites Mary to London to be a governess. There she meets Tom Hayward, who is affianced to Anne Baxter. She also meets the charismatic Mr Ryder. They will be the competing love interest.
Ryan Sampson excels as an extremely short Mr Collins, the cousin who inherits the Bennett house in the absence of a male heir and turfs them out.
Pemberley, home to Jane and Mr Darcy is a mighty mansion rather than a country house.
Tanya Reynolds as Caroline Bingley is deeply unpleasant.
We get spectacular Lake District scenery. In what may be a nod to the famous wet shirt scene in Pride & Prejudice TV series, Mary gets soaked to the skin, but there’s nothing sexy or romantic about it.
The series gave us considerable pleasure. we watched episodes 1 to 7 one at a time, then binged the last three.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID
five star
Anita Singh, Telegraph *****
three star
Lucy Mangan, Guardian ***
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