BBC drama Miss Austen starring Keeley Hawes confirms release date and trailer

The much-anticipated BBC drama, Miss Austen, has finally been given a release date, and viewers won't have to wait long. The four-part series, adapted from Gill Hornby's best-selling novel of the same name, is set to launch on Sunday 2 February.

All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer at 6am, with the series also airing weekly on BBC One, starting on the same date. Miss Austen, which wrapped production last year, has been adapted for TV by writer Andrea Gibb, known for her work on Elizabeth is Missing and Mayflies.

The BBC has hinted that the drama series "takes a literary mystery Cassandra Austen notoriously burning her famous sister Jane's letters and reimagines it as a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine".

A new trailer, released on 21 January, features actress Keeley Hawes in her role as Cassandra Austen, and gives viewers a brief insight into Cassandra's relationship with her sister Jane.

The series also boasts a star-studded cast including Rose Leslie, Patsy Ferran, Synnve Karlsen, Phyllis Logan, Max Irons, Alfred Enoch, Jessica Hynes, Mirren Mack, Kevin McNally, Calam Lynch and Liv Hill.

The synopsis reveals: "The drama begins in 1830, many years after Jane has died, Cassandra rushes to visit Isabella (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiance, 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.

"Upon finding them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. The trailer also features Young Cassy (Synnve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) in flashback scenes as they navigate romantic infatuations, female friendships and dashed hopes that shaped their lives and laid the foundations for Jane's unforgettable stories."

Miss Austen is directed by BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Aisling Walsh and produced by Stella Merz. It is a co-production of Bonnie Productions and MASTERPIECE, in association with the BBC and Federation Stories, reports the Express.

The executive producers are Christine Langan for Bonnie Productions, Susanne Simpson for MASTERPIECE and Polly Williams for Federation Stories. Keeley Hawes, Andrea Gibb and Aisling Walsh are also executive producers. Federation Studios will distribute the series internationally.

Miss Austen launches on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday 2 February.