The Other Bennet Sister writer teases Ruth Jones’s "brutal” version of Mrs Bennet

New BBC series The Other Bennet Sister, the first five episodes of which are available now, focuses on characters viewers might think they know, but from an angle they most likely don't.

That's because it tells the story of Mary Bennet, the oft-forgotten Bennet sister from Pride & Prejudice who is played by Ella Bruccoleri.

This means that viewers get to see a different side to some of the most famous characters in literature, with Ruth Jones playing a version of Mrs Bennet that writer Sarah Quintrell has teased is "brutal".

Speaking with us exclusively for our video interview series The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which we get to know what makes screenwriters tick, Quintrell spoke about the cast of the series, saying casting director Kahleen Crawford and her team "have done the most incredible job".

She said: "Not only are they brilliant, the cast – I mean, I don't even know where I would be in my life without Ella Bruccoleri – but they're also the most unfussy, hard working, just gorgeous, fun people to be around.

"We would sit under a little tent having our lunch together outside Longbourn, and everyone was sort of mucking in, and we just had a brilliant time. We all sort of fell in love over that period. When we were casting it, you become so close to the characters when you're writing them. Mary was really, really important to me, and I loved her dearly. And the casting was like, ‘Oh gosh.’

"And Ella walked in the room, I think she'd been on tape a couple of times, she came in for a final recall, and I was in the room, and it was just like, ‘Oh, there she is.’ And I felt so incredibly blessed to have found someone who got the range, who got the humour, who got the tone. She took things beyond anything that I'd imagined."

Quintrell continued: "And Ruth Jones! I mean, when Ruth came in… And honestly, her Mrs Bennet is just a delight to watch – so funny, so brutal and brilliant. And I suppose I'm lucky, I got to write Mary's family. I got to write Mary's mum and Mary's sisters, so they're slightly different to Lizzie's experience of that same family, and Ruth really took that on. The cast are incredible."

The Other Bennet Sister also stars Richard E Grant, Indira Varma, Richard Coyle, Laurie Davidson and Dónal Finn, and five episodes will be released in two separate blocks – the first block is available to stream now, while block 2 will arrive on Sunday 29 March.

The synopsis for the series, which is based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, says: "The drama reimagines the world of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Mary Bennet – the oft-overlooked middle sister – bringing a fresh perspective to Jane Austen’s iconic story as Mary steps out of the shadows and into her own life."

This isn't the only Pride & Prejudice related series we are getting this year - a Netflix adaptation of Austen's novel is also on the way, with Olivia Colman taking on the role of Mrs Bennet.

Sarah Quintrell's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room is available to watch in full now on RadioTimes.com.

The Other Bennet Sister episodes 1-5 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Episodes 6-10 will be available on Sunday 29 March at 6am.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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