The Other Bennet Sister with author Janice Hadlow

2026 is the year of the Horse. It is also the Year of Classic Literature, thanks to the current crop of high-profile screen adaptations. And, when it comes to the classics, SLOB is all about the small screen.

Most film directors have enormous egos. All too often they use a classic as a departure point to - frankly - just show off. To try and show they are as brilliant as the author. And we don’t like it! Or very rarely. Our hearts lie with the small screen. There the classics can unfold faithfully and with all the time they deserve. Think of the BBC’s adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, Middlemarch and Jane Eyre, as well as modern classics like Wolf Hall and Normal People.

It’s fair to say that the breakout hit of the hour is the BBC’s adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister - a bold rewrite of Pride and Prejudice - starring Ella Bruccoleri, Richard E Grant and Ruth Jones. So, we’re delighted to have Janice on the show this week to talk about not only adapting Pride and Prejudice, but having her book in turn adapted for the screen.

Anyone familiar with Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice will know that Elizabeth Bennet has a very unappealing younger sister called Mary, who - with Austen’s characteristic talent for cruelty - is portrayed as a plain-looking prig, unable to say the right thing, and generally lowering spirits with her moralising comments and sub-par musical performances. You might recall the famous Mr Bennet line spoken about Mary: "That will do extremely well, child. You have delighted us long enough. Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit."

In this episode, we're joined by author Janice Hadlow to chat all about Mary, TOBS, and what it looks like when you champion the underdog.

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