Keeley Hawes on Miss Austen role: "I'd been hoping for something like this"

Speaking at a screening of the series, Hawes told RadioTimes.com and other press: "I received the script and I had been hoping, really, for something like this. I couldn't have imagined that it would have been as wonderful as this is, and with this incredible group of women.

"But I was interested in doing something about love, really, and this is a story about love in in all its forms. So, it came into my inbox and I read it and I just felt like I had totally lucked out. It's about sisterly love, romantic love, unrequited love.

"I think, at this time in the world, I think this is something that we can all sit and really give ourselves over to and enjoy. So, it ticked a lot of boxes for me.”

Using a dual timeline, the series follows Cassandra, and then as the younger Cassy (played by Synnøve Karlsen), who is fiercely protective of her sister Jane's legacy and tries to uncover letters that could threaten it.

The new BBC series is based on Gill Hornby's novel of the same name and has been adapted by screenwriter Andrea Gibb, but will bring to light the literary mystery of just why Cassandra burned her sister's letters.

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As per the synopsis for the series: "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 flashbacks, 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."

Similarly, Karlsen also spoke of her role in the BBC drama as a younger version of Cassandra, who is faced with romantic prospects and her own fair share of drama.

Speaking of the sisterly bond that's at the heart of the series between Cassandra and Jane, Karlsen said: "[Cassandra] is a really loyal, loving and supportive person, and I think that's another thing that really drew me to her is just like how much she is the cheerleader of her sister.

"It’s funny, the quote about ‘Behind every great man stands a great woman’ and I think behind Jane Austen stood Cassie. I think as time goes on, it really becomes about the fact that she has chosen to make her life in aid of this wonderfully talented sister that she has. I think without her sister by her side, I'm not sure that Jane would have been able to do the work that she did."

As well as Hawes and Karlsen, the cast for Miss Austen also includes Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Max Irons (Condor), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) and Liv Hill (The Serpent Queen), as well as Jessica Hynes (Life After Life), Mirren Mack (The Witcher) and Kevin McNally (The Crown).

Miss Austen will air on BBC One and iPlayer from Sunday 2nd February 2025.

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