Ladies of LETTERS

ROSE LESLIE, KEELEY HAWES and JESSICA HYNES on unravelling a literary mystery at the heart of Jane Austen's family

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MISS AUSTEN NEW SUNDAY, 9.05PM, BBC1 DRAMA (BOX SET, BBC iPLAYER)

After Jane Austen passed away in 1817, her beloved elder sister Cassandra reportedly destroyed many of the author's letters. Now, a much-anticipated BBC1 drama imagines what might have led her to commit that shocking act.

Based on Gill Hornby's bestselling novel of the same name and airing to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Jane's birth, four-part series Miss Austen opens in 1830 as spirited spinster Cassandra (The Durrells star Keeley Hawes) rushes to support her friend Isabella Fowle (Vigil's Rose Leslie), who is set to lose her home when her father dies.

In fact, Cassandra's real motive is to retrieve some correspondence from the house which she believes could taint Jane's reputation. But her wily sister-in-law Mary Austen (WIA's Jessica Hynes), Isabella's maternal aunt, also wants the letters...

As Cassandra reads the revealing papers, however, she is forced to reflect on her own past choices, as flashbacks spanning 1797 to 1817 reveal the romances and heartaches experienced by her younger self (played by Bodies star Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Life After Life's Patsy Ferran).

Here, Keeley, 48, Rose, 37, and Jessica, 52, give us their take on the tale...

'ISABELLA NEEDS A NEW PATH'

Rose Leslie portrays Cassandra's troubled friend

What can you tell us about Isabella, Rose?

She's the youngest of three sisters but they're not bonded like Cassandra and Jane are. Isabella's dedicated to her father but, after his passing, she needs a new home and path in life. For the first time, she's able to put her own feelings first.

How does she react to Cassandra's arrival at the house?