Sarah Quintrell on His Dark Materials, The Power and The Other Bennet Sister: The Radio Times Writers' Room
Quintrell, whose new drama tells the story of a lesser-explored Jane Austen character, is the latest guest on our interview series looking at the art of screenwriting.
Welcome back to The Radio Times Writers' Room!
This time around we're welcoming Sarah Quintrell, the writer behind new Jane Austen-inspired BBC drama series The Other Bennet Sister.
Quintrell initially started out in acting, and had roles in series including Doctor Who, Lewis, Doctors and Call the Midwife.
Her on-screen writing debut came in 2016, with the release of one-off Channel 4 drama Ellen. The TV film, which starred Jessica Barden and Joe Dempsie, followed a young girl who found herself torn between a new friend and an older man.
The film was multi-award winning, with Quintrell being nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for breakthrough talent. The award was won by the film's director, Mahalia Belo.
Since then, Quintrell has written on innovative Channel 4 docudrama The Trial: A Murder in the Family, as well as an episode of His Dark Materials, the fantasy series based on Philip Pullman's novels and created by Jack Thorne.
In 2023, she co-created The Power, the Prime Video sci-fi series starring Toni Collette and Auli'i Cravalho, which was set in a world where women developed a mysterious new ability to electrocute at will.
Now, she brings us a new 10-part adaptation of Janice Hadlow's novel The Other Bennet Sister for the BBC. The series, like the novel before it, tells the story of Mary Bennet, the oft-forgotten sister of Lizzie Bennet from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
The series features an all-star cast, including Ella Bruccoleri as Mary, Richard E Grant as Mr Bennet, Ruth Jones as Mrs Bennet, Indira Varma as Mr Gardiner, Richard Coyle as Mrs Gardiner, Laurie Davidson as Mr Ryder and Dónal Finn as Mr Hayward.
During our chat, Quintrell spoke about being mentored by Shameless creator Paul Abbott and This Is England creator Shane Meadows, and revealed how and why she made the move from acting to writing.
She also spoke about the acclaimed shows she wishes she could have been in the writers' room for, and spoke about the Jane Austen Easter eggs fans should look out for in The Other Bennet Sister.
"There were times when I sort of put in Easter eggs for the people who know the series really well," Quintrell said. "For example, there's a scene where they're all waiting for a letter and they think it's going to be from Bingley about Jane, and actually it's from Collins saying he's coming over.
"But I wanted to cover off, in the Pride and Prejudice timeline, what happened with Jane and Bingley and their mother's desperation to marry them off, and she sent Jane out in the rain. I'd write bits of dialogue, and I kept being told to pull it out. 'It's Mary's story, it's Mary's story.'
"And in the end, there's just a beat where Jane sneezes. So they reference Bingley, Jane sneezes, and we move on. So even if it gets reduced to just a sneeze, I wanted those beats to be in there for the people that know the story well and love it."
You can watch the full video at the top of this article right now, and look out for more trips to The Radio Times Writers' Room soon.
In the meantime, you can catch up with our previous chats with Mark Gatiss, Harry and Jack Williams, Noah Hawley, Neil Cross, Steven Knight, Chris Chibnall and Jack Thorne.
The Other Bennet Sister premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday 15 March 2026.
Add The Other Bennet Sister to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
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.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
