New BBC drama Miss Austen starring Bodyguard's Keeley Hawes has landed a release date and trailer.
The upcoming series is adapted from the book by Gill Hornby, and reimagines the relationship between Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, the latter infamously destroying many of the author's letters in real life.
The broadcaster has now announced that the show will premiere on Sunday, February 2, with all four episodes available on BBC iPlayer from 6am that day and broadcasting weekly on BBC One from that evening.
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In the brief trailer, we are introduced to young Jane (Patsy Ferran) as she declares in one letter that she is "not ready to let my beloved sister Cassie go".
We then see present Cassandra (played by Hawes) as she is told her famous sister "warrants a substantial biography" to learn about the "real" author.
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Cassandra is later asked if she found letters written by her sister, lying that she hasn't discovered "a single one".
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Miss Austen starts in 1830, "many years after Jane has died", as Cassandra visits Isabella (Rose Leslie), who is the niece of her long-deceased fiancé as she faces losing her home after 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," the synopsis adds. "On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth.
"In flashback, we meet Young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane as they navigate the romantic infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories.
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"Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to find a way to guide Isabella towards the path of true happiness."
As well as the aforementioned actors, the series stars Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan, Condor's Max Irons, How to Get Away with Murder's Alfred Enoch, Bridgerton's Calam Lynch, The Serpent Queen's Liv Hill, W1A's Jessica Hynes, The Witcher: Blood Origin's Mirren Mack and The Crown's Kevin McNally.
The series, which comes from Mayflies' Andrea Gibb, will mark 250 years since Jane Austen's birth.
Miss Austen will premiere on Sunday, February 2 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
