The Night Manager

The BBC has released new images from upcoming Jane Austen period drama The Other Bennet Sister.

Next month, BBC is set to release a new ten-part series titled The Other Bennet Sister, which shines the spotlight on the often overlooked Mary Bennet from Jane Austen’s renowned novel Pride and Prejudice.

The period drama, adapted from Janice Hadlow’s novel bearing the same title, delves into the life of the ‘unremarkable and overlooked’ sibling.

This week, the BBC unveiled a fresh batch of images from the forthcoming drama, featuring Call the Midwife star Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet, along with a host of other pivotal characters and potential love interests.

Joining Ella in the anticipated series are Ryan Sampson as Mr Collins, Dónal Finn as Mr Hayward, Laurie Davidson as Mr Ryder and Aaron Gill as John Sparrow.

Night Manager actress Indira Varma also joins the ensemble as Mrs Gardiner, alongside her on-screen spouse, portrayed by Richard Coyle, reports Wales Online.

An official synopsis for The Other Bennet Sister hints: “The series takes as its premise that – when it comes to the Bennet sisters – while we dream of being Lizzy, in reality most of us are more like Mary..

“The series follows Mary as she steps out of her sisters’ shadows in search of her own identity and purpose – finding herself in the middle of an epic love story along the way.

“Her journey will see her leave her family home in Meryton for the soirees of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention.”

The newly released images from the upcoming drama have sparked a flurry of excitement among fans.

One eager viewer expressed: “Very much looking forward to seeing this!” Another added: “I’m really looking forward to this. The book is brilliant! I’ve read it twice.”

Others praised the casting, with one person commenting: “Brilliant casting” whilst another fan exclaimed: “CANNOT WAIT!!!!” Further comments included: “Looking forward to this” and “Can’t wait for this. Loved the book and the cast is [fire].”

Actress Ella Bruccoleri shared her excitement about joining the cast in an interview with the BBC, saying: “As someone who has always related more to Mary than Lizzy – something that was confirmed even more by reading Janice Hadlow’s brilliant novel.”

She continued: “I feel incredibly lucky to be spending these next few months exploring her world in depth, as envisioned by these incredible women.”

Bruccoleri also praised the script, stating: “Sarah Quintrell’s scripts are packed full of beautiful idiosyncratic detail, empathy, humour and such warmth… revealing that beneath Mary’s awkwardness and formality, lies a woman longing for purpose and connection.”

The Other Bennet Sister is set to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in March.

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BBC’s The Night Manager has aired its second series finale with Tom Hiddleston – and it was packed full of twists and turns

After six weeks of gripping drama, the second series of The Night Manager reached its explosive finale on Sunday, February 1, leaving viewers captivated as revelation after revelation unfolded.

Eight years following the thrilling season one conclusion which drew over 10 million UK viewers, Tom Hiddleston returned last month to portray former British intelligence operative, Jonathan Pine.

Drawing on the characters conceived by John le Carré, the inaugural series of the BBC’s The Night Manager followed Pine working as a hotel night manager before being enlisted by intelligence officer Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to penetrate the inner sanctum of international arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).

Those watching the second series discovered Pine living under the alias Alex Goodwin – now a junior MI6 officer managing a modest surveillance unit in London – his existence reassuringly mundane.

Then one evening, a chance glimpse of a former Roper mercenary triggered a call to action and thrust Pine into a brutal confrontation with a fresh adversary: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) – who turned out to be Roper’s son, reports Wales Online.

And whilst Roper’s ‘death’ had been established in a flashback, a subsequent twist disclosed he was, in reality, very much alive, paving the way for the duo’s spine-chilling reunion. After weeks of gripping drama, the final episode saw Teddy betray his father – attempting to sabotage the plan to destabilise Colombia.

During nail-biting scenes, despite Pine’s efforts to intercept the plane carrying the weapon, he realised that Roper had switched the aircraft.

As the episode drew to a close, Roper gained the advantage and killed his own son Teddy before escaping the country and reuniting with younger son Danny in the UK. Meanwhile, Pine was offered 50 million dollars to vanish, leave Roper alone, and begin a new life while Angela Burr was murdered in cold blood – all laying the groundwork perfectly for a third series.

Viewers flocked to social media platform X to share their reactions to the shocking finale.

One commented: “The Night Manager had one of drama’s great finishes. It really was one you’ll never forget. The cliffhanger of hangers.”

A second said: “This show is bloody insanely GOOOODDD.” A third posted: “WHAT AN ENDING WHAT A SHOW WHAT A CAST just don’t leave it another 10 years.”

Another added: “Always a twist.” And a fourth said: “Richard Roper is some guy.”

One fan posted: “Well that was splendid viewing and left nicely open for s3.” And another added: “I just hope it doesn’t take another 10 years for season 3.”

However, others were unhappy with the conclusion especially the killing off of Angela. One said: “Well the ending of #TheNightManager was a disappointment especially killing off Angela. Bit flat if I’m honest plus having subtitles that are unreadable is pointless, i just zoned out when they were on the screen.”