Into The Austenverse

Recording solo from his wardrobe while Lisa is in Melbourne casting Moulin Rouge, DC shares updates on The Other Bennet Sister, noting it has been in the BBC’s top 10 and that two more episodes (bringing the total to four) are now up on Binge, with a guess the season may be six episodes. He thanks listeners for messages and letters, mentions a mixed Guardian review, and cites a Hollywood Reporter note that the series doesn’t end on a cliffhanger because the book is complete, though the showrunner has an idea for a possible series two. In “Austen News,” he highlights new BBC Shop Pride and Prejudice merch priced in Australian dollars and asks for reliable merch sources like Etsy. He previews coverage of episodes three and four on Monday and a mini-drop together next Thursday, and says they’re seeking interview guests.

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David and Lisa Campbell return to discuss the first two half-hour episodes of The Other Bennet Sister (streaming on Binge in Australia and BBC in the UK), praising it as a highly watchable Pride and Prejudice-adjacent retelling from Mary Bennet’s perspective. They highlight Ella Bruccoleri’s performance as Mary, Ruth Jones’s more anxious and monstrous Mrs. Bennet, Richard E. Grant’s checked-out Mr. Bennet, and the inspired casting of 1995 Mary (Lucy Briers) as housekeeper Hill. Episode 1 focuses on Mary’s isolation, her mother’s cruelty about her looks, getting glasses, and a hopeful connection with Mr. Sparrow that Mrs. Bennet brutally shuts down. Episode 2 covers Mr. Collins (Ryan Sampson), a more calculating Charlotte Lucas, and Mary’s humiliating Netherfield performance of “Be Gone, Dull Care,” ending with a shock departure.

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With Lisa away casting Moulin Rouge, DC is joined by his Today Extra EP and “Austen guru” Cosi Toni to gauge their “hype meter” for 2026 Jane Austen adaptations. They discuss the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister (aired in the UK with five episodes on iPlayer), praising the book’s slow-burn start and racing second half, its “pro-Gardiner” energy, and the casting of 1995’s Mary. They debate Netflix’s upcoming Pride and Prejudice, critiquing its teaser for echoing the 2005 “hand flex,” noting interest in Jack Lowden as Darcy and Olivia Colman, and expressing lingering disappointment from Netflix’s Persuasion. They also preview a new Sense and Sensibility with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Fiona Shaw, and writer Diana Reid, then rank their excitement in differing orders, calling 2026 a major “Jane” year.

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David and Lisa Campbell return to the podcast!  They chat about the arrival of The Other Bennet Sister, the Oscar-nominated short, Jane Austen’s Period Drama before getting to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.  How does this movie stand up after 22 years and how does it stand up as an adaptation of Persuasion?!

NEXT WEEK!  The pair are going to start talking about The Other Bennet Sister - you can watch on BINGE in Australia and BBC One/BBC iPlayer in the UK.

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DC and Lisa are at sea.  They took their love of Admiral and Mrs Croft too far and have boarded a ship.  They are here to quickly apologise for being away on Monday.  But they'll be back on land on Monday 17th March.

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David and Lisa Campbell continue their Persuasion series on Into the Austeverse. The conversation goes from the specifics of the Dakota Johnson adaptation and the novel to the value of Robin Williams' hirsuteness.

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DC and Lisa welcome the brilliant journalist and author Jane Caro and discuss Jane Austen’s Persuasion.  The conversation explores Austen’s subversive feminism, including Anne Elliot’s speech on women’s constrained lives, and how class, money, and prestige function as “false gods.” Caro contrasts Austen’s treatment of servants as largely invisible with the Brontës’ more fully realized servant characters, and praises Persuasion’s secondary figures.

Here are all the details of where to find us and get in touch:

Instagram @in2theaustenverse 

Tiktok @in2theaustenverse and on

YouTube @intotheaustenverse

Email us at [email protected] - we would love to hear from you!

Find out more about DC’s favourite of Jane’s books - The Mother.

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David and Lisa Campbell kick things off with Captain Wentworth’s iconic love letter—while rocking nautical hats from home—and use it as the perfect launch point into Jane Austen’s most mature, emotional novel. They chat about why this letter hits differently, how Persuasion stands apart as Austen’s final completed work, and why Anne Elliot might be her most relatable, “grown-up” heroine.

Expect fun deep dives into:

*The Navy, prize money, and the class drama behind it

*Sir Walter’s vanity and Bath’s social climbing scene

*The quiet power of second-chance romance

*Lady Russell’s complicated role in Anne’s story

*The surprisingly wholesome Crofts marriage

Plus, they rave about the beloved 1995 film adaptation—its subtle style, swoony performances, and those tiny, heart-stopping moments fans still talk about.

💬 They wrap up by inviting listeners to weigh in on one juicy question: what’s really going on between Mr. Elliot and Mrs. Clay?

If you love Austen, romance, and smart-but-fun literary chat, this episode is a must-listen.

Here are all the details of where to find us and get in touch:

Instagram @in2theaustenverse 

Tiktok @in2theaustenverse and on

YouTube @intotheaustenverse

Email us at [email protected] - we would love to hear from you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode, DC and Lisa talk all things Heathcliff the Musical, as well as quick detour to discuss who from the Austenverse/Brontëverse is tipped to become James Bond.

Monday is back to regular programming with the return of Austen and PERSUASION!

You can watch along on Youtube @intotheaustenverse or enjoy the highlights of Cliff Richard’s Heathcliff here.

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David and Lisa record an at-home ‘emergency’ episode of Into the Austenverse to dive into Wuthering Heights amid renewed attention from Emerald Fennell’s upcoming cinematic adaptation and a major spike in book sales. They discuss their prior assumptions of what the novel was about and how shocked they were by its darker, gothic, psychologically traumatic scope—especially the second half and Catherine’s death around the midpoint. They recap key Brontë background, the complicated multi-generation plot,the novel’s layered narration whether Emily Brontë is more focused on consequences than motives. Turning to Fennell’s film, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi - listen to hear what they think!

Here are all the details of where to find us and get in touch:

Instagram @in2theaustenverse 

Tiktok @in2theaustenverse and on

YouTube @intotheaustenverse

Email us at [email protected] - we would love to hear from you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.