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BBC viewers are set for a delight as a new 10-part period drama, The Other Bennet Sister, is about to premiere.

The series will centre on the less prominent Mary Bennet from Jane Austen's renowned novel Pride and Prejudice.

Actress Ella Bruccoleri, best known for her role as Sister Frances in BBC's Call the Midwife, will take on the lead role.

Discussing her involvement in the show, she told the BBC: "As someone who has always related more to Mary than Lizzy - something that was confirmed even more by reading Janice Hadlow's brilliant novel - I feel incredibly lucky to be spending these next few months exploring her world in depth, as envisioned by these incredible women.

"Sarah Quintrell's scripts are packed full of beautiful idiosyncratic detail, empathy, humour and such warmth. revealing that beneath Mary's awkwardness and formality, lies a woman longing for purpose and connection."

Before the period drama airs, we're examining Ella's life beyond her portrayal of Mary Bennet.

Ella made her first appearance on the BBC period drama in 2018 during the annual Christmas special, but she became a regular cast member the following year.

During her tenure on the show, audiences witnessed her character surmount numerous personal obstacles, assist in finding the mother of an abandoned baby, and become involved in helping a troubled young teenage mother, reports the Mirror.

However, the actress departed the period drama in 2022, with her final scenes depicting Sister Frances being dispatched to Chichester to recover from a broken shoulder.

Discussing her decision to exit the show, Ella revealed to Radio Times that it was due to other opportunities. She stated: "It felt crazy quitting a great job but I'd started getting different offers, and I realised I love the variety of different things.

"When I look back at my early episodes, I'm thinking, 'Oh, that's not good.' I learnt screen acting on the job, and it was invaluable."

Beyond her acting career, Ella is a member of the band Marry Me Emelie!, which she established with Yoan Segot. Ella and Yoan encountered each other on the open-mic circuit in Paris and commenced creating music together in 2024.

The duo, who shared a 13-year relationship, independently launched their first single titled I Have a Lark last year prior to their debut EP. However, it appears their Instagram hasn't been active since the close of last year.

One post the band disseminated included an image of Ella as they captioned it: "Thank you so much for listening to our first ever EP and telling us what you think, it really does mean the world to us.

"It was born out of much sadness and tumult - confusion about how to move forward with our separate lives - we channelled a lot of into the EP and it now feels incredibly strange that people can go and listen to the deeply personal outpouring on Spotify (et al.) But YES YOU CAN".

Ella appears to be well-versed in period dramas, having also starred in Netflix's Bridgerton.

She portrayed Winifred Barragan in the third series of the Shonda Rhimes-produced show, a young woman making her formal debut into society.

Unfortunately, her character failed to win over Queen Charlotte at the ball and confided in Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), admitting she felt she lacked talent.

Her character did not make an appearance in the fourth series of the Netflix programme.

The Other Bennet Sister airs on BBC One on Sunday, March 15 from 8pm

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