Last year, Keeley Hawes took everyone by surprise when she announced her new project Miss Austen.

The four-part period drama that reimagines the story of Cassandra Austen (Hawes) notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters, is a television adaptation of Gill Hornby’s bestselling novel.

The drama that started filming in November 2023 is getting a release date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 9/8c on PBS. This four-part drama will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2025, aligning with the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

A synopsis for the upcoming series reveals: “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.”

Watch now the first official teaser for Miss Austen released by Masterpiece:

Miss Austen was directed by the BAFTA-winning Aisling Walsh and its cast includes names like Patsy Ferran (Living), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder), Max Irons (The Wife), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton), Jessica Hynes (Years and Years), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Kevin McNally (The Crown) and Liv Hill (Elizabeth Is Missing). BAFTA-winning writer Andrea Gibb was responsible for the screenplay.

Source: Masterpiece PBS