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Last month, PBS Masterpiece introduced the other Miss Austen—not the celebrated author Jane, but her older sister, Cassandra. Miss Austen, which made Cassandra the heroine of her own story, is based on the novel of the same name by Gill Hornby. On Friday, it was announced Cassandra’s adventures will continue in Miss Austen Returns, based on true events which form the basis of Hornby’s upcoming fictional tale, The Elopement.
“People watching Miss Austen might think, how does it return? To a large degree, it’s down to the fact that Gill wrote another novel, which we optioned, and which created the potential for Cassandra to come back,” producer Christine Langan explained in conversation with Deadline. “The Elopement is drawn from very rich family history; the Austens were very fertile, there’s a lot of them. This is a well-researched true story that happens later on [from Miss Austen], around the 1820s, and to a wing of the family that involves Cassandra.”
The Elopement, which hits shelves in October 2025, is Hornby’s third novel about the Austen family, following Miss Austen and Godmersham Park. Here’s the synopsis, courtesy of Simon & Schuster:
“1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward – a man of strict principles and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary’s life is suddenly changed. Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny’s sisters become Mary’s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect no opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known the other for some years. It promises to be the most perfect match. Who would want to stand in their way?”
In Miss Austen, Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) attempted to play fairy godmother by improving the lives of those around her while also setting out on a personal mission to protect her sister Jane’s legacy. In flashbacks, the show followed the romantic misadventures of Cassandra (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) that led them to become spinsters together. The four-episode series was written by Andrea Gibb, who is currently penning the scripts for Miss Austen Returns, per Deadline.
“In the present tense of the narrative in Miss Austen Cassandra was carrying the legacy of Jane Austen. Then, in the past tense, you understood the chemistry and the dynamic between them,” Langan explained to the outlet. “Well, you’re going to see more of both of those [elements], but the past-tense years that we focus on will be ones that were highly creative for Jane and when her novels were actually being published. Cassandra is carrying the flame in the present-tense part, and rather than burning letters and looking after Jane’s privacy as in the first series, this is about an interpretation of Jane’s meaning and value.”
