Synnøve Karlsen (Young Cassandra), Patsy Ferran (Jane), Keeley Hawes (Cassandra), Rose Leslie (Isabella) Photo: MASTERPIECE

In episode 71 we talk with Gill Hornby, author of the best-selling novel Miss Austen, which has been adapted for a 4-part series premiering on MASTERPIECE on PBS May 4, 2025 (check local listings). MISS AUSTEN seeks to unravel the historic literary mystery by reimanging Cassandra Austen’s act of sisterly love in burning the letters of her famous author sister Jane Austen after Jane’s death in 1817.

In this podcast we talk with Gill Hornby about…

The author’s motivation for writing Miss Austen (novel) and being a Cassandra Austen “fan girl”

Women's financial insecurity in the Austen sisters’s time
Sisterly bond bewteen Jane and Cassandra Austen
Jane Austen's global appeal
….and more
Spoiler alert for this podcast

Download a Transcript for Episode 71

GUEST

I wanted to make the case for Cassandra, and the best way to do that was in fiction, because there are so many holes where we do not know what was going on, that I could invent them all….it’s a propaganda for my girl.
Gill Hornby

Gill Hornby

Gill Hornby is the author of the novels *The Hive* and *All Together Now*, as well as *The Story of Jane Austen*, a biography of Austen for young readers. Her subsequent novels, *Miss Austen* and *Godmersham Park*, were bestsellers for the British *Sunday Times*. Gill Hornby’s latest novel, *The Elopement* is set to be published in the US later this year. Gill is currently President of the Jane Austen Society in the UK and lives in West Berkshire with her husband and four children.
Connect with Gill Hornby: Instagram | X/Twitter

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MISS AUSTEN

MISS AUSTEN (2025)

MISS AUSTEN reimagines Cassandra’s act of protection as a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love. MISS AUSTEN begins in 1830, a while after Jane has died. Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) races to see her friend Isabella (Rose Leslie) who is about to lose her home following her father’s death. Cassandra is ostensibly there to help, but her real motive is to find a stash of private letters which, in the wrong hands, could destroy Jane’s reputation.

When Cassandra finds the letters she’s transported back to her youth. The younger Casssandra (Synnøve Karlsen), and her sister Jane (Patsy Ferran), navigate the infatuations, family feuds, and diminished hopes which shaped their lives and became the foundations for Jane Austen’s unforgettable stories.

MISS AUSTEN is adapted by BAFTA-winning writer, Andrea Gibb, and BAFTA-winning director Aisling Walsh. The cast also includes Jessica Hynes (Mary Austen), Mirren Mack (Dinah), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Austen), Kevin McNally (Mr. Austen), Max Irons (Henry Hobday), Alfred Enoch (Mr. Lidderdale), Calam Lynch (Tom Fowle) and Liv Hill (Young Mary).

MISS AUSTEN premieres May 4, 2025 on PBS MASTERPIECE (check local listings)

Visit MASTERPIECE’s official webpage for MISS AUSTEN