Ella Bruccoleri shot to fame on Call the Midwife in 2018 and has recently bowled over period drama fans on The Other Bennet Sister
16:34, 28 May 2026Updated 16:36, 28 May 2026
BBC The Other Bennet Sisters stars actress Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet. (Image: BBC)
Ella Bruccoleri has made a surprise confession about her rise to fame as a television actress.
The 36-year-old star recently appeared as the lead in the BBC One drama The Other Bennet Sister, inspired by Jane Austen’s timeless Pride and Prejudice.
Upon its March launch, the period drama became an instant hit with viewers, with some critics branding Ella’s performance “absolutely lovely” and the show a “must-watch”.
The popular character’s final episode in 2022 saw her playing a game with the children at the Mother House to correctly guess the name she had before becoming a nun. On her way back from her day of work, she injured her shoulder after a bike crash.
While she hasn’t been seen since Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) sent her to Chichester to recuperate, viewers did get some closure when they learned her given name is Rosemary.
Following her exit from Call the Midwife, Ella has gone on to play Miss Barragan in the third season of Netflix’s Bridgerton and appeared in all three entries of the recent Strangers horror movie trilogy.
In 2021, she starred as Anabel Dinsdale in All Creatures Great and Small and played a nun in the series The Last Kingdom.
Enjoying great success in her career, Ella has now revealed that she struggled to watch herself on-screen during her earlier acting days, including on Call the Midwife.
She told the New York Times: “The first year of seeing myself on camera, I was just miserable because I was like, ‘I don’t think that looks like me'”. But on The Other Bennet Sister, Ella was happy to retreat from vanity and relished Mary’s characteristic of an unflattering haircut and geeky glasses.
The story of an overlooked and undervalued young woman finally realising her worth resonates with her. “I relate to her a lot, and I see a lot of her in me”, she added.
Earlier this year, Ella also opened up to the Radio Times about her feelings on her earlier work on Call the Midwife, including why she quit the role:
“When I look back at my early episodes, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, that’s not good’. I learnt screen acting on the job, and it was invaluable”, she said. “It felt crazy quitting a great job but I’d started getting different offers, and I realised I love the variety of different things.”
The Other Bennet Sister and Call the Midwife are both available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Five nations get to avoid competing in the Eurovision semi-finals this yearCredit: ReutersThe UK is represented by Look Mum No Computer, who is guaranteed a slot in the Grand Final
Can I vote in the Eurovision semi-final tonight?
In short – no.
Aside from enjoying the show, UK viewers are unable to take part in tonight’s Eurovision semi-final.
This is because we have been drawn into the second semi-final on Thursday May 14, 2026.
Eurovision rules state that you can only vote in the semi-final in which your country is performing.
That means Brits will have to wait until Thursday to vote, when viewers can have their say alongside France and host nation Austria, as well as the 15 competing nations.
How do you vote in the Eurovision semi-final?
UK viewers will be able to vote on Thursday.
Don’t worry, as full instructions will flash up on screen during the BBC broadcast.
The official website explains: “If you’re in a participating country, you can vote by phone or SMS.
“The instructions you will need will be on the screen during the broadcast, and you can also find them atesc.vote.
“Voting opens after the last song has been performed. You can vote up to 10 times, and you’ll have around 18 minutes to do so. Use your power wisely.”
You cannot vote for the UK’s own entry, in line with long-standing Eurovision rules designed to prevent home-nation advantage.
Why does the UK only take part in one semi-final?
The UK is a member of the Eurovision Big Five alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain, all of whom automatically qualify for the Grand Final.
These nations are are the biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – the organisation that runsEurovision.
That pre-qualified status means the UK does not have to fight its way through the semi-finals, but is instead allocated to broadcast and vote in one of the two semis.
For 2026, Germany and Italy were drawn into the first semi-final, while the UK and France will join Austria in the second.
Spain has, however, pulled out of the contest entirely in protest of Israel’s participation amid the Gaza war, alongside Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia.
When are the two Eurovision 2026 semi-finals?
The Eurovision 2026 semi-finals will take place ahead of Saturday’s showpiece, with 30 of the 35 nations battling it out for 20 Grand Final spots.
Both start at 8pm and are live onBBC One and iPlayer, with the first on tonight – Tuesday, May 12 – and the second following on Thursday, May 14.
Rylan and Angela Scanlon will be providing commentary from the Wiener Stadthalle during both semis.
The order for the first semi-final is as follows:
Moldova – Satoshi, Viva, Moldova!
Sweden – Felicia, My System
Croatia – Lelek, Andromeda
Greece – Akylas, Ferto
Portugal – Bandidos do Cante, Rosa
Georgia – Bzikebi, On Replay
Italy (non-competing) – Sal Da Vinci, Per sempre sì
Finland – Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, Liekinheitin
Montenegro – Tamara Živković, Nova zora
Estonia – Vanilla Ninja, Too Epic to Be True
Israel – Noam Bettan, Michelle
Germany (non-competing) – Sarah Engels, Fire
Belgium – Essyla, Dancing on the Ice
Lithuania – Lion Ceccah, Sólo quiero más
San Marino – Senhit, Superstar (featuring Boy George)
Poland – Alicja, Pray
Serbia – Lavina, Kraj mene
While the schedule for the second semi-final is:
Bulgaria – Dara, Bangaranga
Azerbaijan – JIVA, Just Go
Romania – Alexandra Căpitănescu, Choke Me
Luxembourg – Eva Marija, Mother Nature
Czechia – Daniel Žižka, Crossroads
France (non-competing) – Monroe, Regarde !
Armenia – Simón, Paloma Rumba
Switzerland – Veronica Fusaro, Alice
Cyprus – Antigoni, Jalla
Austria (non-competing) – Cosmó, Tanzschein
Latvia – Atvara, Ēnā
Denmark – Søren Torpegaard Lund, Før vi går hjem
Australia – Delta Goodrem, Eclipse
Ukraine – Leléka, Ridnym
United Kingdom (non-competing) – Look Mum No Computer, Eins, Zwei, Drei
“A challenge like this is definitely not in Ella’s comfort zone but she wanted to experience something new and push herself. Both Sam and Ella are competitive and they’re in it to win it.
“They filmed the show earlier this year but their fans will have to wait until it airs before they can see who did the best.”
Earlier this month, I revealed that Sky Sports legend Jeff Stelling had signed up to take part with his son Matt.
They’re also competing against Junior and Princess Andre — who are making their reality TV contest debut together.
On Friday, Sam was one of Chris Evans’ first guests on his new run of TFI Unplugged on Channel 4, to promote his telly series Your Song with Paloma Faith and Alison Hammond.
Sam’s show invites amateur singers to take to the stage in a live roadshow across the UK.
Sam explained: “It’s berserk. We go up and down the country, we bring a stage with us for people who have probably never sung in public before with a live band. They come, share a story and sing a song that’s attributed to that. The connection you see being made is beautiful.”
On working with Paloma and Alison, Sam joked: “They’re mad as a box of frogs but great to be around. All of our laughs are so cackly, it’s unreal.
“The three of us laughing together is like the Witches Of Eastwick.”
Sam added: “There is no winning a record deal. There is an event at the end of it and every singer is invited — they rinse the free bar, and a couple of people from each round perform on the night. That is the prize.
“It’s a show that’s got heart.”
LOOK MUM, I’M ALL SET
THERE is less than a month to go until Eurovision and the UK act is now out of the gates, with Look Mum No Computer giving his first live performance of zany track Eins, Zwei, Drei.
The singer– whose real name is Sam Battle – performed at the London Eurovision Party on Sunday night, but admitted it was a struggle to get there after becoming a dad less than a fortnight ago.
Look Mum No Computer is giving his first live performance of zany track Eins, Zwei, DreiCredit: GettyThe singer– whose real name is Sam Battle – performed at the London Eurovision Party on Sunday nightCredit: GettyBoy George and Italian Senhit are representing San MarinoCredit: Getty
In an exclusive chat with Bizarre’s Howell, he confessed: “The concept of sleep is something I fondly miss.”
But it isn’t just his newborn Max who has taken up his time, as he has also built his set for the contest in Vienna.
The YouTuber and inventor said: “Just before we went to the hospital for the baby, I was finishing the props – making and soldering all the bits for Eurovision.
“I didn’t build all of the props – the BBC didn’t trust my welding! – but I’ve built the synthesiser bits for it, and it’s already on a lorry on the way to Vienna.”
Sam has also been working on his voice and dance moves as he prepares for the contest, which starts on May 12.
He added: “I’ve been singing, and I’ve also been working out. I just need to get my stamina up.”
On his staging, he said: “It’s quite complicated. There are some things that require coordination, which is not my forte. I’ve got two left feet.
But (choreographer) Benke Rydman, who I’m working with on the stage setup – he’s very much pushing my boundaries.”
Also at the event in London on Sunday was Boy George, who features on the San Marino act Senhit’s song Superstar.
He was in chipper spirits before the show and spent over an hour talking to journalists, so I’m sure he’ll be hoping to one-up our British act at the final on May 16.
ARNIE TO BACK AUSTRIA
HE is the most famous living Austrian and despite it being rather at odds with his macho persona, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been invited back to his home nation to attend the Eurovision final.
I’m told that organisers are preparing for the Terminator star to be in the audience at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, with the hope that his presence will help celebrate Austrian culture and draw in viewers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been invited back to his home nation to attend the Eurovision finalCredit: Getty
Arnie already has a surprising soft spot for the contest after meeting with 2022’s Ukrainian winners KALUSH ORCHESTRA and then starring in the music video to their song Shchedryi Vechir in 2023.
Reflecting on the response after they won, frontman Oleh Psiuk previously said: “In Los Angeles, we met Arnold, who has been actively supporting Ukrainians since the early days of the war.
“He invited us over to his house and came out to greet us with a pet donkey.
“We talked about the situation in Ukraine and thanked him for his support and shared how important it was to us.”
Unfortunately though, I don’t think the movie hero’s donkey will be coming with him to the final.
APPLE Music is getting behind Eurovision in a big way, with the streaming service conducting interviews with all the key stars which will air in the run-up to the event.
And you can get to the heart of this year’s songs on Apple Music’s Eurovision 2026 official playlist, which has translated and phonetic lyrics for each of the tracks.
NOW WOODY TELLS HIS OWN TOY STORY
WITH Toy Story 5 hitting cinemas on June 19, the bigwigs over at Mattel invited Bizarre to visit their top-secret studios in LA – where characters Woody and Buzz were once again working their magic before our eyes.
Nick Karamanos at Mattel revealed: “We are bringing to life what happened in Andy’s room for the first time.” (Andy is the central child character in the original film.)
And that means fans of the films won’t just hear Tom Hanks and Tim Allen voicing the characters on screen – they’ll be able to hear them having full-blown conversations in their own homes.
The new Toy Story 5 toy range lets Buzz and Woody actually talk to each other, with no imagination required.
And Hollywood star Tom’s brother Jim Hanks was brought into the studio to bring the speaking toy version of Woody to life.
Mattel designer Baxter Crane explained: “He sounds just like him (Tom), and he knows how to sound like him. He said, ‘To be Tom you’ve just got to yell more, like whatever you wanna say you’ve just got to yell it instead.’
“And it really worked – he sounds just like his brother.”
The craftsmanship behind it all is next level, with Nick revealing that Mattel still uses manual sewing machines to make the characters’ clothes.
Nick explained: “When we think about Toy Story and taking inspiration, a lot of it is just being true to what the characters are and what is the best way to bring them to life.”
It’s not just Toy Story characters being reimagined either, with Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Nicholas Galitzine all working with Mattel to create figures for Masters Of The Universe.
Andy and his pals will go on sale this Sunday, just in time to get us all excited about the film’s release.
Despite this, I hear fans of the Stones will be able to see Ronnie in action at a top-secret gig later this year.
Fans of the Stones will be able to see Ronnie Wood in action at a top-secret gig later this yearCredit: Getty
My music moles say he is putting on a special, intimate show at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on August 31.
They revealed: “Ronnie is doing a show and some big rock names will join him. This isn’t a Stones gig, so it’s not with Mick and Keith, it’s other well-known industry names.
“So far, he’s got Imelda May on board to sing and Ronnie is currently talking to other artists about getting involved.
“He absolutely loves to play live. The show should be announced next week, with tickets on sale soon after.”
Confirming the gig, Ronnie told me: “I’m looking forward to kickin’ ass with my back catalogue and some new songs – look out London!”
I revealed last month that the band was back with a brand new record, and that the legends had signed up actress Odessa A’Zion to star in their comeback video.
Last week, they proved their fan base is still crazy for their music. The Stones released an ultra-limited white label vinyl single, Rough And Twisted, under the alias The Cockroaches – with all copies snapped up within seconds.
They are now being flogged online for more than a grand.
HUGH’S PREMIERE LEAGUE
HUGH JACKMAN and his actress girlfriend Sutton Foster couldn’t have looked happier as they attended his latest movie premiere – three years after he split from his wife.
The Greatest Showman actor stepped out in a blue suit to the launch of The Sheep Detectives in New York City on Sunday evening, alongside Sutton in a sequin gown.
Hugh Jackman stepped out in a blue suit to the launch of The Sheep Detectives in New York CityCredit: Getty
He moved on after his 27-year marriage to Deborra-Lee Furness came to an end, with their divorce finalised last summer.
