Jane Austen wrote six finished novels, and the BBC appears intent on finding a neglected sister in as many of them as it can. Fresh from the success of The Other Bennet Sister, BBC One and BBC iPlayer have commissioned The Other Elliot Sister, a 10-part drama that hands the spotlight to Elizabeth Elliot, the eldest daughter of Persuasion.
It is the same team, the same trick and, the BBC will hope, the same result. Bad Wolf produces for the BBC and BritBox North America, and Sarah Quintrell, who wrote nine of the 10 episodes of The Other Bennet Sister, is adapting the series from Janice Hadlow’s forthcoming novel of the same name. Production is slated to begin in 2027, so this is a long-range booking rather than a spring treat.
The story so far, and the story to come
Persuasion was the last novel Austen completed, published six months after her death. It belongs to Anne Elliot, the middle daughter whose family decamps to Bath to economise, letting their estate to an admiral and his wife. Elizabeth sits at the edges of that book, which is exactly the point: like Mary Bennet before her, she is a supporting player whose inner life Austen left largely unwritten.
BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon
BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon
BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon
Episodes run 30 minutes, the same length as this Christmas’s Bennet specials. Jane Tranter, Bad Wolf’s chief executive, described Elizabeth as someone audiences know “just enough about to wonder what might be going on beneath the surface”. Lindsay Salt, the BBC’s Director of Drama, is betting viewers will warm to Elizabeth as they did to Mary, and Sony Pictures Television handles international sales.
Why the BBC is doubling down
The numbers explain the hurry. The BBC calls The Other Bennet Sister the biggest new drama across all UK platforms and streamers since March 2025, with 6.5 million viewers in its first 28 days, and says episode one has since climbed to 9.5 million. Those are the corporation’s own figures, but they are the kind that turn a one-off into a franchise, and in an Austen season that also includes Netflix’s new Pride and Prejudice, the BBC has clearly decided to claim its corner of Regency England early.
Before then: Mary’s Christmas
Viewers do not have to wait until 2027 for more. Three 30-minute specials of The Other Bennet Sister arrive this Christmas, picking up with Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) newly married to Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) and wondering who she becomes as Mrs Hayward, until a visitor from her past turns up needing help. Ruth Jones returns as Mrs Bennet, with Tanya Reynolds, Laurie Davidson, Poppy Gilbert, Maddie Close, Grace Hogg-Robinson and Molly Wright, plus newcomer Nerys Amber Stocks as the Haywards’ housekeeper. Asim Abbasi directs again.
The full first series is on BBC iPlayer now, which makes it an easy pick from what is new on UK streaming this November ahead of the festive episodes.
Where to watch
- The Other Bennet Sister, series one: BBC iPlayer, UK, streaming now
- The Other Bennet Sister Christmas specials: BBC One and BBC iPlayer, UK, Christmas 2026; BritBox, US and Canada
- The Other Elliot Sister: BBC One and BBC iPlayer, UK; BritBox, US and Canada; filming from 2027, no premiere date yet
Sources
Before you go
