BBC huge period drama announced starring unrecognisable Line of Duty actress

Keeley Hawes already has a personal connection to Jane Austen as her husband Matthew Macfadyen played Mr Darcy in a big screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 2005

The BBC has announced a huge period drama starring an unrecognisable Line of Duty actress.

Keeley Hawes will play Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra Austen in the star-studded production Miss Austen, which is based on Gill Hornby’s novel of the same name. The four-part drama will be released on BBC One in 2025, to celebrate 250 years since the legendary author’s birth.

The drama series also stars Game of Thrones actress Rose Leslie, as well as Jessica Hynes, and is based many years after Jane’s death. It begins in 1830, and focuses on Cassandra as she deals with the legacy of her late sister, as well as helping the niece of her dead fiance find true love. The official synopsis for the BBC series revealed the first episode will see Cassandra race to see her young friend Isabella (Rose), who is about to lose her home following her father’s death. Her father is Cassandra’s former fiance, who died a long time ago.

Cassandra, however, helps Isabella with an ulterior motive - she’s trying to find a stash of private letters from her late sister Jane, that if discovered, could destroy her reputation. After she finds the letters, Cassandra becomes overwhelmed and flashbacks show her in her youth, along with her sister Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they reveal their own personal stories of love, feuds and lost relationships formed the inspiration for the author’s iconic novels.

Filming for the series began in November last year, and has been directed by BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Aisling Walsh. Keeley has her own personal connection to Jane Austen, as her husband Matthew Macfadyen played Mr Darcy in the big screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 2005.

The Succession star was cast in the iconic role of the dashing beloved character in Joe Wright’s epic period drama, with Keira Knightley as his love interest, Elizabeth Bennett. Matthew spoke about being “miscast” in the role in an interview earlier this year, and confessed he “didn’t really enjoy” working on the movie.

“I didn’t really [enjoy it],” he told CBS Mornings. “I feel bad saying that. There were moments I had a good time, but I wish I enjoyed it more. I wish I was less worried about it.” He said he and Colin Firth, who played Mr Darcy in the BBC adaptation, “exhaustively” compared notes on playing the role, and he quipped: “I felt a bit miscast, like, ‘I’m not dishy enough.’ But it worked out.”

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