''Miss Austen'' is a four-part historical television series. It stars

Keeley Hawes Clare Julia Keeley Hawes (born 10 February 1976) is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including '' Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and '' Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portray ...

and

Jessica Hynes Jessica Hynes (''née'' Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011–2012) and ''W1A'' (2014–2 ...

. It is an adaptation by Andrea Gibb of the novel ''Miss Austen'' by Gill Hornby.

Aisling Walsh Aisling Walsh (born 1958) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Her work has screened at festivals around the world and she has won several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award for '' Room at the Top'' (2012) as well as an Irish Film and Tele ...

directed the series, while Stella Merz produced for Bonnie Productions and

Masterpiece A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

Premise

In year 1830,

Cassandra Austen Cassandra Elizabeth Austen (9 January 1773 – 22 March 1845Cassandra Austen
". (n.d. ...

, the sister of late

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

, visits the family Fowle, when Reverend Fowle is dying, and promises him to help his daughter Isabella find a new home. Additionally, she looks for the letters Jane has written in her youth to Fowle's wife Elizabeth, planning to destroy them so that the private themes discussed cannot stain Jane's reputation. Mary Austen, James Austen's widow, also looks for these letters, in order to write a biography about her late husband. Reading the letters, Cassandra reminisces the past, which is shown in flashbacks. These cover Cassandra's engagement to Tom Fowle who dies soon after, Mary's marriage to James Austen, losses of relatives and homes for the Austen family, new chances for love, Jane's literary trials and successes, and end before her death. Cassandra burns most of the letters, except for a few she leaves for Mary to discover, and departs after finding a man for Isabella.

Cast

Main

Cassandra Austen Cassandra Elizabeth Austen (9 January 1773 – 22 March 1845Cassandra Austen
". (n.d. ...

, Jane Austen's only sister **

Synnøve Karlsen Synnøve Karlsen () (born 30 July 1996) is a British actress best known for playing Clarice Orsini in the historical drama series ''Medici'', Holly McStay in the BBC thriller series ''Clique'', Jocasta in the 2021 Edgar Wright psychological hor ...

as young Cassandra (Cassy) Austen *

Alfred Enoch Alfred Lewis Enoch (born 2 December 1988) is a British and Brazilian actor. He is best known for playing Dean Thomas (Harry Potter), Dean Thomas in the fantasy film series Harry Potter (film series), ''Harry Potter'' and List of How to Get Away ...

as Mr. Lidderdale, a physician and Isabella's suitor *

Patsy Ferran Patricia Ferran (born 25 November 1989) is a Spanish-British actress. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before becoming known for her roles on stage and screen. She has received a number of accolades including a Laurence Olivier A ...

, Cassandra's sister, a novelist *

as Mary Austen, née Lloyd, Eliza's sister and James Austen's widow, thus Cassandra and Jane's sister-in-law **

Liv Hill Liv Hill (born 22 June 2000) is a British actress. She received accolades for her roles in the BBC miniseries '' Three Girls'' (2017) and the films ''Jellyfish'' and ''The Little Stranger'' (2018). She has since appeared in '' The Fight'' (201 ...

as young Mary Austen *

Max Irons Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons (born 17 October 1985) is an English and Irish actor. He is known for his roles in films such as ''Red Riding Hood (2011 film), Red Riding Hood'' (2011), ''The White Queen (miniseries), The White Queen'' (2013), '' ...

as Henry Hobday, a fictional potential suitor for Cassandra *

Rose Leslie Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie (born 9 February 1987) is a Scottish actress. She portrayed Gwen Dawson in the ITV (TV network), ITV drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Ygritte in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones''. She played Maia Rindell ...

as Isabella Fowle, a daughter of Fulwar Fowle *

Phyllis Logan Phyllis Logan (born 11 January 1956) is a Scottish actress, widely known for her roles as Lady Jane Felsham in ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for ...

as Mrs Cassandra Austen, the Austens' mother *

Calam Lynch Calam Finbar Lynch (born 7 November 1994) is a British actor. His films include the Disney adaptation of '' Black Beauty'' (2020) and Terence Davies' ''Benediction'' (2021). On television, he appeared in the BBC One drama '' Mrs Wilson'' (2018) ...

as Tom Fowle, Fulwar Fowle's brother, who is Cassandra's late fiancé *

Mirren Mack Mirren Mack (born 8 December 1997) is a Scottish actress, known for portraying Kaya on the BBC drama '' The Nest'', Florence in ''Sex Education'', Queenie in the National Theatre’s 2022 production of '' Small Island'', and Merwyn in the Netfli ...

as Dinah, the Fowles' maid *

Kevin McNally Kevin Robert McNally (born 27 April 1956) is an English actor and writer. He began his acting career in the BBC TV adaptation of ''I, Claudius'' (1976), but is best known for portraying Joshamee Gibbs in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' fran ...

as George Austen, the Austens' father

Recurring

* Florence Bell as Mary Jane Dexter, née Fowle, Isabella’s sister * Carys Bowkett as Anna Austen, James Austen's daughter ** Vivien Battley as young Anna * Hubert Burton as Edward Austen, a brother of Cassandra and Jane * Thomas Coombes as Mr. Dundas, the new vicar moving into Fowle House *

Clare Foster Clare Foster (born 24 July 1980) is a British actress, known for portraying the role of PC Millie Brown in the ITV series ''The Bill''. Foster appeared in the 2011 London revival production of '' Crazy for You'', which played at the Novello T ...

as Beth Fowle, a sister of Isabella * Jake Kenny-Byrne as Frank Austen, a brother of Cassandra and Jane * Patrick Knowles as James Austen, Cassandra and Jane's eldest brother *

Felix Scott Felix Scott is a British actor who played the role of Charlie Thomas in the BBC Radio 4 soap ''The Archers'' from 2014 to 2016.BBC Radio 4 - The Archers -Charlie Thomas, 5 December 2014 He has also appeared in the television series ''Holby Cit ...

as Reverend Fulwar Fowle, Tom Fowle's brother and Isabella's father * Madeline Walker as Eliza Fowle, Fulwar Fowle's wife, Mary Austen's sister and Isabella's mother

Guest

* Tom Glenister as Harris Bigg-Wither, Jane's short-time fiancé * Rebecca Johnson as Mrs. Hobday, Henry Hobday's mother * Elle McKay as Catherine Bigg-Wither, a sister of Harris * Eve Ponsonby as Elizabeth Austen, Edward Austen's wife * Ruby Richardson as Alethea Bigg-Wither, a sister of Harris

Production

directed the four-part series and also acts as executive producer. Other executive producers on the series were Susanne Simpson for

, Christine Langan for Bonnie Productions, Polly Williams for Federation Stories,

who stars and Andrea Gibb, who also adapted the book by Gill Hornby. Filming got underway in November 2023. The series features

as Jane Austen's elder (and only) sister, Cassandra, and Jessica Hynes as Jane Austen's sister-in-law, Mary.

is the Austen's family friend Isabella and

is her servant Dinah. Also in the cast are

and

. In June 2025, it was reported that pre-production was beginning on a sequel series, ''Miss Austen Returns''.

Broadcast

In December 2023, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

acquired the rights to show the series in the UK, and it was broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer from 2 February 2025. The series' broadcast on ''

'' on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

began on 4 May 2025.

Reception

Shivani Gonzalez in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted that although "the characters are all based on real life people in Austen’s life, the actual story lines here are mostly fictional”.

Lucy Mangan Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian'' and an opinion writer for '' i'' news. Early life and education Mangan was born in 1974 and grew up in Catford, ...

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' awarded the series four stars and praised the performance of Keeley Hawes.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Austen 2025 British television series debuts 2025 British television series endings 2020s British drama television series 2020s British television miniseries BBC television dramas British English-language television shows Television series by Mammoth Screen Television shows based on British novels Cultural depictions of Jane Austen