Preview images of the new Keeley Hawes drama, Miss Austen, coming in 2025

The BBC has released more preview pictures from Miss Austen!

Based on the best-selling novel by Gill Hornby, published in 2020, the new period drama will premiere on BBC in the UK, and on Masterpiece in the USA and Canada in 2025. The series is a co-production of Bonnie Productions and MASTERPIECE, in association with the BBC and Federation Stories.

Set in 19th-century Britain, the fictional story is based on a real-life mystery – Cassandra Austen infamously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters.

What is it about?

Miss Austen reimagines the tale as “a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine.”

Here is a synopsis of the story:

The drama begins in 1830, many years after Jane has died. Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) rushes to visit Isabella (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiancé, who is about to lose her home following her father’s death. Cassandra is ostensibly there to help Isabella, but her real motive is to find a hidden bundle of private letters which, in the wrong hands, she fears could destroy Jane’s reputation. On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth.

 In flashback, we meet Young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they navigate the romantic infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories. Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to find a way to guide Isabella towards the path of true happiness. 

Who is in the cast?

The cast is led by Keeley Hawes (The Durrells, Bodyguard) as Cassandra Austen, and Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Vigil) as Isabella Fowle. Its supporting cast includes Synnøve Karlsen (Last Night in Soho), Patsy Ferran (Living), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Max Irons (Condor, The Wife), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) and Liv Hill (The Serpent Queen) with appearances from Jessica Hynes (Life After Life, Years and Years), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Kevin McNally (The Crown) throughout the series. 

When can we watch it?

The four-part drama will air on Miss Austen will air in four episodes on MASTERPIECE on PBS starting Sunday, May 4, 2025, 9/8c. It will also air on  BBC iPlayer and BBC One but the date is yet to be confirmed.