‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Christmas Special Cast Revealed — Who’s Not Returning?

Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) and Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn) are back in the first look at The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special, premiering this holiday season on BritBox. And the series has revealed the full cast and first plot details for the three-part special, confirming that Ruth Jones, Tanya Reynolds, and Laurie Davidson are among the returning stars alongside Bruccoleri and Finn. But the cast list reveals that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Richard Coyle and Indira Varma) will not be back in the special, nor will Mrs. Hill, played by Lucy Briers, the original Mary from PBS’s Pride & Prejudice.

Bruccoleri returns as Mary, as well as Finn as her husband Tom Hayward. The Other Bennet Sister finale episode saw Mary agreeing to wed Tom — but with marriage comes a new identity and the question remains: Who will Mary become as Mrs. Hayward? See Mary and Tom in the first photo from the special, above.

Also returning are Ruth Jones as Mrs. Bennet, Tanya Reynolds as Caroline Bingley, Laurie Davidson as Mr. Ryder, Varada Sethu as Ann Baxter, 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. Nerys Amber-Stocks also joins the cast as Mary’s housemaid Lucy.

Ella Bruccoleri and Dónal Finn in The Other Bennet Sister finale (BritBox)

Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell, who wrote nine of the 10 episodes of the series, has written all three additional episodes based on storylines by author Janice Hadlow. Asim Abbasi has returned to direct. The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special comes out later this year on BritBox.

Based on Hadlow’s novel of the same name, The Other Bennet Sister puts the middle and oft-ignored Bennet sister from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice front and center on a journey of self-discovery, self-love, and romantic love.

After moving to London to live with her aunt and uncle following the death of her father, Mr. Bennet (Richard E. Grant), Mary blossomed into the independent woman her mother never allowed her to be and found herself in a love triangle of sorts with Mr. Hayward and Mr. Ryder, but she always had stronger feelings for Mr. Hayward.

He was just unavailable at first due to his relationship with Miss Baxter, but his immediate interest in Mary made him make major changes to his life. They ended the season happily engaged.

The Other Bennet Sister, Christmas Special Premiere, 2026, BritBox