New Jane Austen TV Franchise Confirmed After Record-Breaking Streaming Hit
By Google News TV ·
No one saw the record-breaking success of The Other Bennet Sister coming, not even Britbox. However, the BBC Studios-owned streaming service is moving quickly to give audiences more of Jane Austen's overlooked and under-explored characters with a new anthology franchise titled Austen Untold.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first series that will be released as part of Austen Untold will be The Other Elliot Sister. The 10-part drama will follow Elizabeth Elliot, the older sister of Persuasion protagonist Anne Elliot. The Other Elliot Sister, based on Janice Hadlow's forthcoming novel of the same name, will be adapted for the small screen by Sarah Quintrell (The Other Bennet Sister).
Britbox will make The Other Elliot Sister in partnership with The Other Bennet Sister's production company Bad Wolf.
Just as how The Other Bennet Sister placed Pride and Prejudice's Mary Bennet at the center of her own story, The Other Elliot Sister will reimagine the events of Persuasion, which sees the Elliot family move to Bath to reduce their debt by renting their estate to an admiral and his wife, through the perspective of Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth Elliot is an intriguing figure at the edges of Persuasion — someone we know just enough about to wonder what might be going on beneath the surface," said Bad Wolf CEO Jane Tranter. "We’re delighted to be returning to the world of Jane Austen with the BBC and BritBox, and to bring another overlooked character to the centre of her own story as part of Austen Untold."
Jon Farrar, BBC Studios' Chief Content Officer for Direct-to-Consumer, added: "The extraordinary response to The Other Bennet Sister confirmed what we’ve long known: audiences have a deep love for Jane Austen’s worlds and an appetite for stories that uncover new perspectives within them.
With Austen Untold, we’re investing in bold reimaginings centered on the overlooked figures whose complexity and emotional journeys have often remained in the background of Austen’s stories."
The Other Bennet Sister became the biggest launch of a new drama in the U.K. across all platforms and streamers in a year for the British broadcaster. When it debuted on BritBox this past May, the show drove five times the number of new subscribers as any prior launch on the platform. An astounding 50% of active BritBox subscribers have viewed The Other Bennet Sister.
Given its popularity, a three-part Christmas special has been commissioned for The Other Bennet Sister that will debut in December.
Originally published by Google News TV
