Preview of ‘Miss Austen,’ the new BBC period drama starring Keeley Hawes

The new BBC series Miss Austen will arrive on Sunday, 2nd February 2025. The first episode of the series will air on BBC in the evening, while all episodes will be available to stream on the BBC iPlayer as of 6am.

Miss Austen was adapted for the small screen by BAFTA-winning writer Andrea Gibb, basing the script on Gill Hornby’s best-selling novel of the same name. It is a four-part drama produced for MASTERPIECE, in association with the BBC. The plot of the series focuses on a specific incident that occurred after Jane Austen’s untimely passing  – Cassandra Austen burning Jane’s private letters,  and reimagines it as an intriguing, witty story of sisterly love. 

Keeley Hawes (The Durrells, Wives & Daughters) plays Cassandra Austen in a role that examines her close and loyal relationship with her famous sister, Jane. The drama is set in 1830, many years after Jane has died. Cassandra rushes to visit Isabella (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiancé, who is at risk of losing her home following her father’s death. Cassandra is ostensibly there to help Isabella, but she has an ulterior motive – to find a hidden bundle of private letters which, if they were to become public, could ruin Jane’s reputation.

Watch the trailer here:

 Who is in the cast?

Miss Austen’s cast also includes Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Max Irons (Condor), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder), Jessica Hynes (Years and Years), Mirren Mack (The Nest), Kevin McNally (The Crown), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) and Liv Hill (The Serpent Queen.

Miss Austen was directed by BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Aisling Walsh (Maudie) and was produced by Stella Merz (Gentleman Jack).

Where can we watch it?

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Miss Austen will arrive on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday 2 February. In America, the series will air on MASTERPIECE on PBS as of Sunday 4 May.