Into The Austenverse

Recording solo from his wardrobe while Lisa is in Melbourne casting Moulin Rouge, DC shares updates on The Other Bennet Sister, noting it has been in the BBC’s top 10 and that two more episodes (bringing the total to four) are now up on Binge, with a guess the season may be six episodes. He thanks listeners for messages and letters, mentions a mixed Guardian review, and cites a Hollywood Reporter note that the series doesn’t end on a cliffhanger because the book is complete, though the showrunner has an idea for a possible series two. In “Austen News,” he highlights new BBC Shop Pride and Prejudice merch priced in Australian dollars and asks for reliable merch sources like Etsy. He previews coverage of episodes three and four on Monday and a mini-drop together next Thursday, and says they’re seeking interview guests.
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David and Lisa Campbell return to discuss the first two half-hour episodes of The Other Bennet Sister (streaming on Binge in Australia and BBC in the UK), praising it as a highly watchable Pride and Prejudice-adjacent retelling from Mary Bennet’s perspective. They highlight Ella Bruccoleri’s performance as Mary, Ruth Jones’s more anxious and monstrous Mrs. Bennet, Richard E. Grant’s checked-out Mr. Bennet, and the inspired casting of 1995 Mary (Lucy Briers) as housekeeper Hill. Episode 1 focuses on Mary’s isolation, her mother’s cruelty about her looks, getting glasses, and a hopeful connection with Mr. Sparrow that Mrs. Bennet brutally shuts down. Episode 2 covers Mr. Collins (Ryan Sampson), a more calculating Charlotte Lucas, and Mary’s humiliating Netherfield performance of “Be Gone, Dull Care,” ending with a shock departure.
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With Lisa away casting Moulin Rouge, DC is joined by his Today Extra EP and “Austen guru” Cosi Toni to gauge their “hype meter” for 2026 Jane Austen adaptations. They discuss the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister (aired in the UK with five episodes on iPlayer), praising the book’s slow-burn start and racing second half, its “pro-Gardiner” energy, and the casting of 1995’s Mary. They debate Netflix’s upcoming Pride and Prejudice, critiquing its teaser for echoing the 2005 “hand flex,” noting interest in Jack Lowden as Darcy and Olivia Colman, and expressing lingering disappointment from Netflix’s Persuasion. They also preview a new Sense and Sensibility with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Fiona Shaw, and writer Diana Reid, then rank their excitement in differing orders, calling 2026 a major “Jane” year.
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David and Lisa Campbell return to the podcast! They chat about the arrival of The Other Bennet Sister, the Oscar-nominated short, Jane Austen’s Period Drama before getting to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. How does this movie stand up after 22 years and how does it stand up as an adaptation of Persuasion?!

NEXT WEEK! The pair are going to start talking about The Other Bennet Sister - you can watch on BINGE in Australia and BBC One/BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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DC and Lisa are at sea. They took their love of Admiral and Mrs Croft too far and have boarded a ship. They are here to quickly apologise for being away on Monday. But they'll be back on land on Monday 17th March.

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