Is The Other Bennet Sister The First Austen Drama Filmed In Wales?

If you are missing Bridgerton and hunting for a new Regency drama to binge, the BBC has us covered – especially if you are more drawn to the wallflowers than the diamonds. Directed by Jennifer Sheridan, The Other Bennet Sister traces the tale of the oft-forgotten middle sister in Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet.

Based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel and premiering on the BBC this Sunday, Ella Bruccoleri takes the lead role, joined by everyone from Richard E Grant and Ruth Jones to Indira Varma and Richard Coyle.

The scene-stealer? It has to be the scenery itself. Here’s what you need to know.

Mr Gardiner (RICHARD COYLE) & Mrs Gardiner (INDIRA VARMA) in The Other Bennet Sister. (BBC/Bad Wolf)

Where Was The Other Bennet Sister Filmed?

The Other Bennet Sister was filmed in Wales, with the Celtic nation standing in for English regions like the Lake District and Hampshire. Additional filming took place just across the border in Bristol.

It’s not often we hear about Wales in relation to Jane Austen; adaptations of her work are typically filmed in grand English country estates like Chatsworth House and Lyme Park. As location manager Paul Davies tells Muddy Stilettos: ‘Period drama is always a challenge for a location team, and a Jane Austen series filmed in Wales was something I’d never heard of before.’

Nevertheless, Davies rose to the challenge he’d been set by producer Kate Crowther: ‘to make the series look amazing, with houses that turn heads and landscapes so beautiful you could almost eat them. Luckily Wales has plenty of that.’

Mary Bennet (ELLA BRUCCOLERI). Lizzie Bennet (POPPY GILBERT) & Jane Bennet (MADDIE CLOSE) in The Other Bennet Sister. (BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)

Key countryside spots to know include the Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons, which stands in for the Lake District) and the more specifically the Black Mountains (which stand in for Scafell Pyke) and sit on the England-Wales border near Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye in Bannau Brycheiniog.

Filming locations in town include Bristol and Newport, where an arcade was transformed into a London shopping mall. The team also made use of St Fagans Folk Museum in Cardiff for period-accurate gardens and interiors, while Dyffryn House and Gardens near Cardiff also features in various roles: Meryton Town Hall, Netherfield dining room and Westminster Bridge to name a few. Meryton Village itself is played by Penpont House, a private estate in Brecon used for weddings and events.

Dónal Finn as Mr Hayward and Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet. (BBC/Bad Wolf)

Reflecting on filming, lead star Ella Bruccoleri tells C&TH: ‘I loved filming in Wales. I can’t speak highly enough about it; it was like a revelation for me. I’d only been there once, and I was like, “Oh my God, this is the most beautiful country in the world!” I was blown away by it.

‘Some of our locations had to stand in for the Lake District so we did a lot of filming in the Brecon Beacons and on all these beautiful lakes,’ the star adds. ‘It was quite breathtaking. There were days when Dónal [Finn] and I just had to row on a lake all day while they captured shots of us in the sun; it was incredible.’

Mrs Bennet (RUTH JONES) in The Other Bennet Sister. (BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)

Of course, Bruccoleri’s on-screen mother, Ruth Jones, is Welsh, having penned and starred in the nation’s most famous and beloved comedy Gavin & Stacey. Bruccoleri describes Jones as ‘brilliant, hilarious, irreverent and wonderful’, and recalls a playful memory from their time on set: ‘We were based in Cardiff, quite near Barry Island where [Jones] did all the Gavin and Stacey stuff. So she arranged for this Dave’s Coaches tour to come and pick us up one night after work and take us to Barry Island. She got the cafe to stay open late for us, and people swam in the sea. And then she arranged for unlimited ice cream for everyone all night.’

Speaking to the BBC, Jones herself says: ‘I love coming back to Wales. I recognise so many crew members I’ve worked with before, and it makes me proud that we’re creating a production like this here. Locations like St Fagans Folk Museum are places I’ve known since childhood.’

Jane Bennet (MADDIE CLOSE), Lydia Bennet (GRACE HOGG-ROBINSON), Lizzie Bennet (POPPY GILBERT), Mary Bennet (ELLA BRUCCOLERI) & Kitty Bennet (MOLLY WRIGHT) in The Other Bennet Sister. (BBC/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)

WATCH

The Other Bennet Sister kicks off with a double bill at 8pm, Sunday 15 March on BBC One. Two episodes will then air weekly on Sunday evenings.

The first five episodes of The Other Bennet Sister will launch on BBC iPlayer at 6am, Sunday 15 March, followed by the second half of the series from 6am, Sunday 29 March 2026.