Other Bennet Sister’s Ruth Jones’ surprising link to Gavin and Stacey co-star
Ruth Jones has been winning praise for her role in BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister
Gavin and Stacey enthusiasts have overlooked a surprising connection to BBC period drama The Other Bennet Sister.
Beloved actress Ruth Jones, celebrated for her iconic portrayal of Nessa in Gavin and Stacey, is captivating countless Jane Austen devotees with her performance as Mrs Bennet in the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister, reports the Mirror.
The Other Bennet Sister has received widespread acclaim from viewers following its BBC debut last month, with the remainder of the series, including the crucial finale, recently becoming available on BBC iPlayer.
The 10-episode series draws from Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel of the same title and functions as a spin-off to Jane Austen’s timeless romance Pride and Prejudice.
Yet the period drama centres on the most improbable of protagonists: the studious, reserved but exceptionally intelligent Mary Bennet (portrayed by Ella Bruccoleri).
Jones delivers a layered and compassionate interpretation of the Bennet matriarch, particularly demonstrated in the period drama’s finale.
Ruth Jones and Richard E. Grant star as Mrs and Mr Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister(Image: BBC)
Nevertheless, long before Jones assumed the part, her Gavin and Stacey colleague Alison Steadman portrayed Mrs Bennet in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as Mr Darcy and Lizzy Bennet respectively.
Numerous Pride and Prejudice traditionalists have declared the 1995 adaptation of the novel to be the definitive screen version of the acclaimed story.
Indeed, this adaptation has become a cultural touchstone, partly due to Mr Darcy’s emergence from a lake in a sodden shirt and the Bridget Jones films, which reimagined the tale for contemporary audiences with Firth portraying Mark Darcy.
Speaking in 2018, Steadman reflected on the enduring affection for the BBC miniseries: “It’s amazing. I literally meet people all the time who say, ‘Oh my god, Mrs Bennet!’ and they go on and on about it.
Alison Steadman as Mrs Bennet in the BBC’s 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice(Image: BBC)
“I’m so proud of it. It took us six months to shoot the whole thing from start to finish. It was one of the best six months of my whole career.”
She commended the BBC for “giving the time to tell the story in detail”, noting that a film sacrificed “a lot of detail” to accommodate its runtime. She told Red Carpet News TV: “It was a great time.”
Jones and Steadman appeared together in Gavin and Stacey’s three series and multiple Christmas specials across a 17-year period.
Similar to Pride and Prejudice, Gavin and Stacey has also achieved pop culture phenomenon status in Britain, with audiences constantly clamouring for more.
Ruth Jones and Alison Steadman starred together in Gavin and Stacey(Image: BBC)
Whether Jones consulted Steadman about assuming the part remains unknown, given the markedly different interpretations of the character between Pride and Prejudice and The Other Bennet Sister.
Nevertheless, Jones has commented on accepting the role: “Mrs Bennet is iconic and a huge challenge. I’d be stepping into very large shoes.
“I wanted to meet that challenge and portray her differently from how she’s traditionally been seen.
“In The Other Bennet Sister, we don’t see a woman of purely nervous disposition. I think of her like an estate agent with five properties to sell – four will be snapped up, but one can’t even get a viewing.”
She continued: “She’s a tough businesswoman. That really appealed to me.”
The Other Bennet Sister is streaming on BBC iPlayer now