Miss Austen will launch on BBC One in February(Image: (Image: BBC))

BBC Miss Austen start date confirmed as Keeley Hawes leads star-studded cast in new drama

The four-part drama, based on Gill Hornby's best-selling novel of the same name, will launch on Sunday 2 February on BBC iPlayer and BBC One

by · The Mirror

The much-anticipated BBC drama, Miss Austen, has finally been given a release date and telly enthusiasts 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 premiere 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 up production last year, has been adapted for the small screen by writer Andrea Gibb, known for her work on Elizabeth is Missing and Mayflies.

The Beeb has hinted that the drama "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".

The four-part drama is based on Gill Hornby's novel of the same name( Image: (Image: BBC))

A fresh trailer, released on 21 January, features actress Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen, offering viewers a sneak peek into Cassandra's relationship with her sister Jane, reports the Express.

The star-studded cast also includes 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 reads: "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.

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

Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen( Image: (Image: BBC))

Helmed by BAFTA award-winner Aisling Walsh, Miss Austen is a production effort of stellar entities including Bonnie Productions and MASTERPIECE, in collaboration with the BBC and Federation Stories. Heavyweights like Christine Langan of Bonnie Productions, Susanne Simpson of MASTERPIECE, and Polly Williams of Federation Stories are in the executive producers seat.

Additionally, Keeley Hawes, Andrea Gibb, and Aisling Walsh lend their prowess as executive producers. Distribution duties fall to Federation Studios, who will handle international rights.

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