Keeley Hawes and Jessica Hynes on their lavish period drama Miss Austen

Keeley Hawes and Jessica Hynes in dark dresses as Cassandra and Mary Austen in Miss Austen.

Miss Austen explores the mystery of why Jane Austen’s devoted sister Cassandra destroyed some of the celebrated author’s letters.

The four-part period drama, airing in the UK on BBC One in February and in the US on PBS Masterpiece in May, is based on Gill Hornby’s novel and imagines what may have led Cassandra to make the decision.