Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, it stars Ella Bruccoleri as Mary, the middle sister of the Bennet family.

While the story will show some of the usual storylines from Pride & Prejudice, a greater focus will be given to what Mary gets up to.

A synopsis for the series reads: “While her sisters pursue romance and social triumph, Mary embarks on a very different path.

“Leaving Longbourn behind, she travels to London to live with her aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, in their elegant home on Gracechurch Street.

“There, Mary begins a journey of self-discovery, stepping out of the shadows and into her own story.”

Sarah Quintrell wrote nine of the ten episodes in the series, with Maddie Dai penning the other.

Discussing what drew her to the role of Mary, Ella Bruccoleri said: “Mary’s not your typical period drama heroine.

“She lives in a world where, particularly for women, appearance is everything, and she doesn’t understand that value system at all. Instead, she turns to literature that offers a different viewpoint.

“Her favourite book is Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women, because it argues that women shouldn’t have to be beautiful — they should be intelligent and pious.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Quintrell shared that she was a fan of Hadlow’s book, and that she wanted to take the character she created and meld it with her own voice on screen.

The Other Bennet Sister 📸 First look photos revealed

Ella Bruccoleri leads the cast as Mary Bennet, alongside Richard E. Grant and Ruth Jones who co-star as Mr and Mrs Bennet 📺 Coming to @BBCiPlayer and BBC One in 2026

Photos ➡️ https://t.co/LTRAVbHxQK pic.twitter.com/2cZbYQbuYn

— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) December 12, 2025

She added: “Watching my own children reach their teens reminded me how intense social hierarchies feel at that age, and that really informed how I approached Mary’s inner life.”

The Other Bennet Sister full cast list

• Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet
• Ruth Jones as Mrs Bennet
• Richard E. Grant as Mr Bennet
• Poppy Gilbert as Elizabeth Bennet
• Maddie Close as Jane Bennet
• Grace Hogg-Robinson as Lydia Bennet
• Molly Wright as Kitty Bennet
• Victor Pilard as Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Indira Varma as Mrs Gardiner
• Richard Coyle as Mr Gardiner
• Reggie Absolom as George Gardiner
• Roisin Bhalla as Marianne Gardiner
• Jasmine Sharp as Rebecca Gardiner
• Ryan Sampson as Mr Collins
• Varada Sethu as Anne Baxter
• Donal Finn as Mr Hayward
• Daniel Thomas as Mr Fanshaw

• Lucy Briers as Mrs Hill
• Tanya Reynolds as Caroline Bingley
• Aaron Gill as John Sparrow
• Claire Cage as Lady Lucas
• Anna Fenton-Garvey as Charlotte Lucas
• Lucinda Dryzek as Louisa Bingley
• Aled Owens as Charles Bingley
• Fergus Craig as Mr Hurst
• Sean Carlsen as Sir William Lucas
• Seraphina Beh as Miss Clarke
• Laurie Davidson as Mr Ryder

Recommended reading :

When will The Other Bennet Sister be on TV?

The first episode of The Other Bennet Sister will air at 8pm on Sunday, March 15 on BBC One, with the second following immediately afterwards at 8.30pm.

The remaining eight episodes will air in the same pattern over the coming weeks.

Alternatively, the first five episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday, March 15 with the remaining five releasing on the service on Sunday, March 29.

Will you be watching The Other Bennet Sister on BBC One? Let us know in the comments.

The Metropolitan Police said officers attended Horseferry Road in Westminster, central London, after reports on Saturday morning that a baby had fallen from a residential property.

The baby girl – aged 18 days – was taken to hospital and was pronounced dead.

A woman has been arrested (Image: Lucy North/PA)

A 43-year-old woman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and taken into police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Alison Foxwell said: “Our thoughts today are with the baby’s family.

“The death of an infant is always an extremely tragic occurrence, and officers are making urgent inquiries around the circumstances.

“At this stage, we believe the incident occurred within a domestic context, but we are appealing for anybody with information to come forward.”

The police cordon covered most of Great Peter Street, which is just off Horseferry Road, on Saturday evening.

An officer in a blue forensics suit was seen in a grey van parked partway down the road, which was closed to traffic.

Forensic investigators are at the scene (Image: Lucy North/PA)

Passers-by were diverted around the taped cordon.

Two forensics officers could be seen working in a third floor flat in the Peabody Estate.

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said the baby was treated at the scene before being taken to a major trauma centre.

Foodie Becca tried a variety of full English breakfast boxes from her local takeaways, with different price ranges, and the winner left her pleasantly surprised

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There’s nothing quite like a full English breakfast. It’s filling, satisfying and offers a range of items to enjoy, making it difficult to tire of the meal.

Recently, a woman who shares candid food reviews sampled various full English breakfasts, ranging from budget-friendly to premium options available at her local takeaways. Becca set out to determine which would deliver the best taste, and it’s fair to say the findings of her latest review left her pleasantly surprised. In a TikTok video shared with her 589,000 followers, she explained: “Let’s start with the cheapest one… This is from a greasy spoon called Poppin’s Cafe.

“This cost £4.95, we’ve got a piece of toast, a sausage, bacon and a fried egg.”

She began with the sausage, describing it as inexpensive and greasy with “a good amount of flavour”. Moving on to the toast, she noted it “didn’t travel well”.

Becca then highlighted the thick-cut bacon before concluding it represented good value for money.

She gave this breakfast a rating of 5.5 out of 10.

Moving onto the mid-range breakfast from her selection, this one was from Tesco cafe. The meal included three hash browns, two eggs, sausages, a generous portion of beans and some bacon as well – all for £11.40.

Sampling the food and offering her honest assessment, Becca remarked: “The hash browns needed a little longer in the fryer, it’s quite stodgy on the inside but I like how thick they are and they do have nice flavour.”

Taking a bite of the sausage, she commented: “Still quite fatty but I’m enjoying the pork flavours.”

She then noted the basic bacon which – to her preference – wasn’t cooked enough.

When giving her verdict, Becca revealed: “Overall it’s not a bad breakfast, I think £11.40 is a bit steep for the quality you get. I’m going to give this a 6.5 out of 10.”

Finally, her last breakfast – the priciest one – was from Bills.

Upon examining her box, there were two sausages, two slices of black pudding, three tomato halves, baked beans, two slices of bread and “so much bacon”. There were also two eggs, with some mushroom concealed underneath and a total of five hash browns.

She disclosed: “This was £19.95… Looks like a pretty good sausage. Oh Bills that sausage is overcooked, hash browns are really good, I wouldn’t say the quality for me justifies such an exorbitantly priced breakfast.

“I think the sausages are the biggest disappointment, that toast needed more time in the toaster. I’m going to give the most expensive one a 6 out of 10.”

After sampling all her breakfasts, Becca concluded the second meal – the mid-priced option from Tesco – was her favourite.

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival will return to The Stray on June 27 and 28, featuring a packed programme of family-friendly entertainment including live music, a cookery theatre, and a variety of new attractions.

New for 2026’s festival, the ‘Sizzling Showdown’ Arena will host daily competitions and interactive shows, including a family dog show, chilli-eating challenge, and a ‘Foodie Olympics’.

Michael Johnston, festival director, said: “Part of what creates the vibrant, community-led atmosphere at our event is the wonderful mix of local acts and up-and-coming musicians that take to the stage each and every year.

“It’s important to us that we deliver a diverse and exciting line-up that’s testament to the region’s wealth of talent while offering a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy.”

This year’s festival will also feature inflatable banana jousting, inviting friends and families to take part in light-hearted duels.

Both the Sizzling Showdown Arena and the jousting attraction are free for ticket holders.

The live music line-up kicks off on Saturday at 11am with Wil Forrester’s smooth saxophone covers, followed by the dance and music duo Old Time Rags at 12pm.

Saturday’s programme also features vocalist Sienna Craven, The Johnny Storm Band, Gumbox, and headline act The UB40 Experience at 5.45pm.

The evening will close with Ibiza Sax Classics at 7.15pm.

Sunday’s highlights include Mackie, Scoble and Friends, the Leeds City Stompers, and the Danny Charles Band.

Headliners The Soul Shebang will perform their tribute to soul legends at 5.15pm, before Ibiza Sax returns to close the festival at 6.30pm.

Early bird tickets are on sale now at harrogatefoodfestival.com.

Tickets are priced at £6.95 for adults, £4.95 for under-16s, and free for children under five.

Manchester City injury list as two new names added following Premier League draw with West Ham

Manchester City dropped more Premier League points on Saturday with a disappointing 1-1 draw at West Ham.

Despite dominating the game for large periods, City could not fashion a victory and the draw means Pep Guardiola’s side are now nine points behind Arsenal in the race for the title.

The Blues now turn their attentions to the Champions League with Real Madrid in town on Tuesday. City were beaten 3-0 in the first leg of the last-16 tie so have a mountain to climb to reach the quarter-finals and have fresh injury issues to contend with.

Savinho and John Stones missed the trip to the London Stadium due to minor complaints. Here’s the injury latest from the Etihad.

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Savinho

Injury: Hamstring

The winger was taken off at half time of the defeat to Real Madrid and while that was a tactical change, the Brazilian felt his hamstring and was deemed not fit enough to travel to West Ham. He is expected to be fit for the second leg against Real on Tuesday.

Potential return date: Real Madrid (H).

John Stones

Injury: Ankle.

The England international has had an injury-hit campaign and has only recently returned to action. He felt his ankle in training so was left out of the West Ham game as a precaution. The England international started a week ago at Newcastle in the FA Cup and should be back in the squad for Tuesday, although there will be open training on Monday ahead of it where his injury status will become more clear.

Potential return date: Real Madrid (H).

Rico Lewis

Injury: Ankle.

Lewis has been absent in recent weeks with an ankle problem and is not yet fit enough to return to the squad. “Rico still has a little bit of swelling in the ankle,” said Guardiola ahead of the trip to West Ham.

Potential return date: March.

Josko Gvardiol

Injury: Leg.

Gvardiol is a long-term absentee for City having fractured his leg in the January draw with Chelsea. The defender is in a race against the clock to be back before the end of the season and this summer’s World Cup.

Potential return date: May/June.

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

Max Alleyne

Injury: Knock.

Alleyne has not been in the squad since the victory over Salford in the FA Cup. He picked up a knock in that game but did feature in first-team training on Tuesday before the trip to Real Madrid.

Potential return date: March.

Mateo Kovacic

Injury: Ankle.

It has been a frustrating season for Kovacic after suffering an ankle injury in October. The midfielder is back in training and was among the subs against West Ham.

Alford, 54, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in January after he was found guilty of the assaults which occurred during a party at a friend’s home.

He died at HMP Bure in Norfolk on Friday, the Prison Service said.

London’s Burning star John Alford in 1993 (Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)

The former actor, who appeared in the BBC drama Grange Hill, was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and charges of sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to a 15-year-old girl at a property in Hertfordshire on April 9 2022.

After Alford’s death was first reported by The Sun on Sunday, a Prison Service spokesman said: “John Shannon died in prison on March 13 2026.

“As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”

Jurors heard during the trial that the defendant, charged under his real name John Shannon, sexually assaulted the girls while they were drunk following a night out at the pub.

St Albans Crown Court heard that Alford bought some £250 worth of food, alcohol and cigarettes from a nearby petrol station, including a bottle of vodka which the victims subsequently drank.

He then had sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old girl in the garden of the home and later in a downstairs toilet, and inappropriately touched the 15-year-old girl as she lay half asleep on the living room sofa.

Police received a third-party report from the 15-year-old girl’s mother outlining the allegations two days later, before the defendant was arrested.

The 15-year-old girl said in her evidence she had felt “absolutely sick” following the assault and had planned to keep the incident secret before having a “mental breakdown” to her friend’s mother on April 11.

Alford told jurors during the trial that all the allegations were “scandalous” and a “set-up”, and that there was no DNA evidence to support the assaults.

He said he had told police that the girls were “going to extort money” from him, and that he suffered from mental health issues including anxiety, depression and paranoia.

Alford was previously convicted of supplying illicit drugs to former News of the World journalist Mazher Mahmood, who was known as the “fake sheikh”, following a trial in 1999, and was jailed for nine months.

Jurors heard he also received a payment of £500,000 from the news organisation in relation to allegations that his phone had been hacked.

Alford was convinced by Mahmood to meet a fake Arabian prince at London’s Savoy hotel in 1997 on the promise of receiving new acting roles and lucrative public appearances, before later being asked to source cocaine for the individual.

Former London’s Burning star John Alford outside Snaresbrook Magistrates Court in London, where he was convicted of one charge of supplying cocaine to News of the World investigative editor Mazher Mahmood, after he was secretly filmed handing cocaine and cannabis to a bogus Prince. Taken in 1999 (Image: Peter Jordan/PA Wire)

He later filed lawsuits against the News Of The World and its editors with claims that he was subjected to landline wire-taps, voicemail hacking and the wide-ranging theft of his personal data for use in their headline stories.

Mahmood was jailed in 2016 for tampering with evidence in the collapsed drugs trial of pop star Tulisa Contostavlos, which led to Alford’s conviction being examined by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The use of three locks in England’s pack improved their maul significantly, while Chessum had a huge impact in the loose; scoring from close-range, assisting Alex Coles with an inside pass, before intercepting Matthieu Jalibert at a pivotal moment, with England trailing by 11 points, and racing clear to score from 60 metres out.

The four women all work alongside each other and have done for many years

LIke most mums, Kelly Brown is proud of her kids, but she says she is “incredibly proud” to work alongside her three daughters – and all have incredibly valuable roles in the health sector. Hannah, 31, Laura, 37, and Lucy, 28, have followed in their mother’s footsteps all working at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

And it didn’t start with Kelly, her mum, Gloria worked as a staff nurse at the former miner’s hospital in Caerphilly.

For over 20 years Kelly has worked in healthcare, supporting patients and families in Wales. For 16 years she was a health care support worker but for the last four years she has been helping those affected by cognitive impairment and dementia as a memory link worker,

Hannah has worked in the gynaecology department at UHW for 12 years as a health care support worker, winning a health hero award for supporting women through difficult experiences.

She said: “My role is all about providing compassionate, hands-on care and being there for patients when they need reassurance and kindness the most.”

Her elder sister Laura has also been working at the same hospital for 12 years, starting as a health care support worker but since progressed into the role of patient flow co‑ordinator in the Emergency Unit. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

A big inspiration for Laura is her mum who she watched work hard as a health worker when she was growing up. Laura said: ““I’m so proud of the incredible women in my family.

“My mum inspires me every day with her passion for supporting patients with cognitive impairment and her dedication to going above and beyond for her patients.”

Kelly felt a similar inspiration when she was young as her mother, Gloria, worked as a staff nurse at the former miner’s hospital in Caerphilly. Sharing Gloria’s story with her daughters has “played a big part in encouraging” the family to pursue careers in healthcare.

“I think it’s fair to say nursing runs in our blood,” Kelly said.

Lucy, the youngest of the three sisters, began her career with the seven years ago as a health care support worker in the neonatal intensive care unit and has now qualified as a registered nurse after completing a flexi nursing degree. She now cares for some of the most vulnerable babies while supporting the families.

She said: “As the youngest in the family, I grew up watching my mother and sisters be advocates for their patients and always going above and beyond for them. Seeing their compassion and dedication inspired me to follow the same path.

“We share the same commitment to caring for patients, and I’m proud to represent the health board alongside my mam and sisters.”

Kelly said: “Working in the same organisation as my daughters makes me incredibly proud. We each play different roles within the Cardiff and Vale Health Board, but we share the same commitment to caring for others.

“Working here isn’t just a job – it’s something that means a great deal to our family. Caring for others has always been at the heart of what we do, and I feel privileged to continue doing that every day.”

At least five people have been killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine, with a further 18 wounded, officials have said.

Four of the deaths were in the Kyiv region, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia targeted energy infrastructure with around 430 drones and 68 missiles.

Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the area’s regional administration, said 15 people were injured, with three of those in a critical condition.

Russia’s defence ministry said the nighttime attacks targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as military airfields.

Another person was killed, and a further three wounded, when Russian-guided bombs hit a residential area in the city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.

It comes as US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are on hold, as Washington focuses on its military action in Iran.

While Moscow has condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, it has stopped short of offering military support to its longstanding ally – and stands to benefit from the conflict.

Russia is already profiting from the surge in global energy prices and may hope that the war in the Middle East will detract attention from Ukraine and force NATO allies to reduce military support for Kyiv.

Iran war latest: Trump calls on UK and China to send warships

Mr Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Saturday that “Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine”.

“We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles – especially those capable of countering ballistic threats – as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he wrote.

The road into Tyre is lined with the yellow and green flags of Hezbollah. Billboards are filled with the faces of fighters who lost their lives in the many battles with Israel over the years.

We’re in the evacuation zone, the area of south Lebanon that Israel has told everyone to leave. And it’s not long before we see the mounting human cost of the latest conflict this community is engulfed in.

Middle East crisis: Follow live updates

A group of mourners is gathered by the side of the road at a temporary cemetery. Huddled around makeshift memorials, some weep, some hug, others stare blankly ahead. They’re here to bury four men that they say were medics and social workers. They were not, they say, fighters.

Ehsan Dbouk, a cleric for the group, says they’ve had to use this site because the men’s hometowns are no longer safe.

“We can’t bury our martyrs in their villages on the frontline,” he says. “We are dealing with an enemy that doesn’t distinguish between killing fighters and killing civilians.”

That enemy, they claim, represents an existential threat. Israel frames the Iran-backed group, proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK, in exactly the same way. Neither side is showing any sign of backing down.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has rapidly expanded the evacuation zone here. Until three days ago, it stretched from the border in the south with Israel to the Latani River. That has now been extended further north to the Zahrani River, about 25 miles from the border, raising fears of a ground invasion.

More than 800 people have been killed so far in the country and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.

But Ehsan dismisses allegations that Hezbollah is dragging the rest of the country into a war it doesn’t want and cannot win.

“The displaced are part of the resistance,” he says. “Hezbollah was born from their homes. They are the fathers and mothers of those fighting on the frontlines.”

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Iran war day 15: Videos from the ground

You can see how battle-hardened those who stayed behind are. The IDF is fighting more than a force in Hezbollah – it’s battling a mindset. And after months of Israeli strikes in the middle of a ceasefire, supporters of Hezbollah believe they are fighting a just war now more than ever.

Nada Harb, a mother and Hezbollah supporter, tells me: “I won’t leave, I didn’t in the previous wars. I was born in war. But there was no resistance then like Hezbollah. The Israelis used to come at night, break down the door, they kidnapped my brother, my father, my sister, my uncle, and no one was allowed to say anything.”

Read more from Sky News:
‘The fighting feels like we’re going to finish it – once and for all’
Why Kharg island is so important for Iran

At her home, she takes us to her balcony to show us three buildings hit by airstrikes. She is exposed, vulnerable, but determined. The IDF insists it’s targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure and leadership here.

But the civilian impact is already huge. The bridges, they say, that Hezbollah is using are also critical to civilians. And hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee this war already – many with no power, no shelter and no say in what happens next.