A Call The Midwife star looks completely different in a forthcoming BBC period drama due to air next year.

With Jane Austen's 250th birthday approaching, fresh first-look photographs have been unveiled for the upcoming drama The Other Bennet Sister.

Adapted from Janice Hadlow's 2020 novel, the story centres on Mary Bennet, described as "the often overlooked middle sister" from Pride and Prejudice.

Call The Midwife's Ella Bruccoleri takes the leading role as Mary, alongside Richard E Grant, Gavin and Stacey's Ruth Jones, Indira Varma, Richard Coyle, Laurie Davidson and Donal Finn.

The BBC synopsis reveals: "The story begins at Longbourn, the Bennet family home, where Mr and Mrs Bennet preside over a lively household of five unmarried daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.", reports the Mirror.

"As society's pressures mount, the Bennet sisters navigate the glittering yet precarious world of Regency England, where marriage is both aspiration and necessity.

"While her sisters pursue romance and social triumph, Mary embarks on a very different path.

"Leaving Longbourn behind, she travels to London to live with her aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, in their elegant home on Gracechurch Street.

"There, Mary begins a journey of self-discovery, stepping out of the shadows and into her own story."

Actress Ella portrayed Sister Frances in Call The Midwife, and also appeared as Miss Barragan in Bridgerton. She has also appeared in Back to Life, The Chelsea Detective, Hotel Portofino, Ludwig and Alice and Jack, alongside Passenger and Bookish.

Fans have expressed their delight at seeing Ella in the new part, with one posting: "I am so looking forward to this. I re-read the novel this year in anticipation!"

"Cannot wait," another added, whilst a third enthused: "So excited for this!"

Following the unveiling of the first-look images, author Janice Hadlow commented: "It's very exciting to think that Mary Bennet will soon be coming to our screens, taking centre stage at last in the story Jane Austen never gave her, played with such feeling by the wonderful Ella Bruccoleri, in the company of a brilliantly empathic cast who bring the whole drama gloriously and poignantly to life."

Screenwriter Sarah Quintrell remarked: "Exploring Jane Austen's world through the eyes of Mary Bennet for the first time has been a joyful experience - and our incredible cast have added a whole new layer of life to these characters.

"Our story is set in a familiar and much-loved world, but we're coming at it from a completely new angle. Mary's story is about coming of age when you're the odd one out - how do you find your place in the world?".

"As a young girl growing up in Croydon my world could not have been more different to Jane Austen's - but there is a universality in her work that reaches across generations and class boundaries, and we cannot wait to bring the Bennet family to a new audience.

"The Other Bennet Sister is true to the spirit of Pride and Prejudice but I hope it will also surprise and delight fans both old and new."

Call The Midwife is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.