Meet the Cast of Miss Austen
Get to know the talented cast of the miniseries Miss Austen, including some familiar faces such as Keeley Hawes (The Durrells in Corfu), Downton Abbey alumni such as Phyllis Logan and Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), recent theater icon Patsy Ferran, and many more.
- 1.
Keeley Hawes
The Character: Cassandra Austen, the beloved sister of classic author Jane Austen, who wanted to protect her sister Jane’s legacy.
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: MASTERPIECE fans will no doubt recall Hawes from her days starring as Durrell family matriarch Louisa in The Durrells in Corfu for all four seasons, trying to keep her slightly dysfunctional family afloat, including sons Larry, played by Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Emma, Challengers), and Leslie, played by Callum Woodhouse, who now stars in All Creatures Great and Small as happy-go-lucky Tristan Farnon. Hawes has also appeared in a number of other hit series over the years, including Bodyguard; Line of Duty; Finding Alice; The Missing; and Orphan Black: Echoes.
Why She Took the Role: “When I received the script, I had been sort of hoping for something like this – I was interested in doing something about love, and this is a story about love in all its forms: sisterly love, romantic love and unrequited love,” Hawes told Stylist. The fact the series is so focused on the close bond between two women isn’t lost on Hawes. “Women are [often] pitted against each other, and I think this is quite unique in that it’s a celebration of women being there for each other.”
Fun Fact: Hawes is married to actor Matthew Macfadyen, who famously played none other than Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in the hit 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice alongside Keira Knightley.
- 2.
Rose Leslie
The Character: Isabella Fowle, the daughter of two old friends of Cassandra and Jane Austen: Eliza and Fulwar Fowle.
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Prior to her turn as Isabella, Leslie was best known for her role as Ygritte in the award-winning series Game of Thrones, as well as in other series such as The Time Traveler’s Wife, alongside Sanditon star Theo James; Downton Abbey as Gwen, alongside her Miss Austen costar Phyllis Logan (who played the much beloved Mrs. Hughes); and The Good Fight.
Her Favorite Jane Austen Novel: “Like many, many people out there, my favorite story is Pride and Prejudice,” Leslie said. “I think my love for Pride and Prejudice sprung from an early age in 1995, and many people will know what I’m referring to, but the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice…I’ve always had a very special place in my heart for Elizabeth Bennet.”
- 3.
Patsy Ferran
The Character: Young Jane Austen (as seen in flashbacks), the famed, world-renowned, classic author of works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Ferran described Jane as a “really vibrant, complex, and wonderful woman” who “…in the script, I found this woman who was vivacious, highly intellectual, very funny, and also complex in that she has her flaws, she’s judgmental. The reason why she’s such a good writer is that she’s an incredible observer of the world and society.”
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Ferran has previously appeared in films such as recent hit Mickey 17 as Dorothy; God’s Own Country, alongside The Durrells in Corfu star Josh O’Connor; and in Jamestown as Mercy Sharrow.
Fun Fact: According to a 2023 feature in the Guardian, “She cancelled her honeymoon to star in A Streetcar Named Desire [opposite Paul Mescal] with four days’ notice – then won the 2023 Critics’ Circle best actress award. A week before the play was due to open, Lydia Wilson, cast by Frecknall as Blanche, withdrew because of injury. Frecknall approached Ferran: she had a day to think about it and four days of rehearsal. The feat of memory alone was staggering.”
- 4.
Phyllis Logan and Kevin McNally
The Characters: Mr. and Mrs. Austen, parents to Cassandra and Jane Austen (as well as their other siblings).
Where You’ve Seen Them Before: Phyllis Logan won over audiences as the reliable, formidable Mrs. Hughes during the six season run (plus two films, with a third in the works) of Downton Abbey. MASTERPIECE Mystery! fans may also recall Logan from her role as Maggie Lynch, a wife and mother with a ruthless edge, in Seasons 2 and 3 of Guilt.
Viewers may recognize Kevin McNally from his role as Jack Sparrow’s right-hand man Gibbs in the Pirates of the Caribbean hit film franchise. He is one of only three actors who appeared in all five films. Aside from his days as part of a pirate crew, McNally has also appeared in series such as The Crown as Margaret Thatcher’s chief press secretary Bernard Ingham, and as Drake Carne in the original 1970s television adaptation of Poldark. Eagle-eyed MASTERPIECE fans also may remember McNally from Seasons 2 and 3 of Downton Abbey as Horace Bryant.
Fun Fact: Not only are Logan and Kevin McNally playing a married couple on-screen in Miss Austen — the pair are married in real life, as well. The couple also both appeared in Downton Abbey.
In a March 2025 interview with Hello!, Logan quipped that, at the time, the Downton Abbey crew also saved money on getting them to the set as they could share a car. Meanwhile, McNally shared the story of finding out he’d been cast in Downton Abbey. ‘”‘I came home and came to the house and I said, ‘Oh Phyllis, I’ve just been offered a job,’ and she said, ‘What is it?’ and I said Downton Abbey… And she said, ‘No, no, no, what is it?’ and I said Downton Abbey and she said: ‘Oh, that’s so embarrassing. It’s like bring your husband to work day, I don’t come spoiling Pirates of the Caribbean for you!’”
- 5.
Jessica Hynes
The Character: Mary Austen, the wife of James Austen and sister-in-law to Jane and Cassandra. Mary is also searching for Jane’s letters, though perhaps not with the same intention as Cassandra. “Mary is wanting the letters because she is seeing an opportunity to really begin to control and tell the story of the Austen legacy,” Hynes said.
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Prior to Miss Austen, Hynes has appeared in a number of series and films over the years, including: Shaun of the Dead as Yvonne; The Franchise; Jack and Dean of All Trades; Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’ Baby as Magda; and The Royle Family.
Her Favorite Austen Novel: “I’ve recently listened to the audiobook of Mansfield Park while I was doing this [series], which was great. I was fully Austen’d up,” Hynes shared. “I was enjoying when I was waiting to film and listening to Mansfield Park… [it] just opened my eyes and I completely, really began to understand how important [Austen] was as a novelist in general, but also as a writer who was writing incredible stories for women and for men.”
- 6.
Synnøve Karlsen
The Character: Young Cassandra “Cassie” Austen (as seen in flashbacks), sister and best friend to Jane Austen. Karlsen described Cassie as “the sort of backbone of the Austen family. She’s the oldest sister and there were only two sisters, they had lots of brothers, so they were very, very close.”
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Before Miss Austen, fans may have seen the Norwegian Scottish actress in television series such as Clique; Bodies; and Medici, as well as in films such as Last Night in Soho, starring The Miniaturist star Anya Taylor-Joy and All Creatures Great and Small‘s original Mrs. Pumphrey, the late Diana Rigg.
- 7.
Alfred Enoch
The Character: Mr. Lidderdale, a local doctor who “has a bit of history with Miss Isabella Fowle (Rose Leslie)” according to Enoch.
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Before his days in an Austen era story, Enoch made a name for himself in the Harry Potter film franchise as Dean Thomas, one of Harry Potter’s housemates; The Couple Next Door, alongside Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson; and How to Get Away with Murder as Wes Gibbins. Eagle eyed MASTERPIECE fans may also have spotted him in Sherlock in Season 3 as Bainbridge.
Fun Fact: Enoch is the son of the late actor William Russell Enoch, known for his roles in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and Doctor Who.
- 8.
Calam Lynch
The Character: Tom Fowle, a young curate with whom young Cassandra “Cassie” Austen was betrothed.
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Lynch has appeared in a number of television series in the past few years, including Season 2 of Bridgerton as Theo Sharpe, a printer’s assistant; Derry Girls; Sweetpea; and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. MASTERPIECE fans may also recognize Lynch from Mrs. Wilson (in addition to Miss Austen star Keeley Hawes) as Gordon Wilson, son of the titular character.
Fun Fact: Lynch hails from a whole family of actors — including his cousin, Max Irons, who is also in Miss Austen as Henry Hobday. Irons is the son of acting legend and “Triple Crown of Acting” achiever (having won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony for his film work) Jeremy Irons and Irish actress Sinéad Cusack. Lynch’s own parents are no strangers to the screen, either — Game of Thrones alum, Finbar Lynch, and his wife, Heartbeat actress Niamh Cusack.
- 9.
Max Irons
The Character: Henry Hobday, a “devotee of science, the scientific principles, [and] also a bit of a philosopher,” said Irons. “I suppose you could think of him as somewhat of a modern man and a modern thinker.”
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Prior to Miss Austen, Irons appeared in a number of series, including The White Queen as King Edward, a starring role in Condor, and Flowers in the Attic: The Originas Malcolm Foxworth.
Fun Fact: In addition to cousin Calam Lynch, who appears alongside him in Miss Austen, Irons’ family is chock full of actors, including his parents, acting legend and “Triple Crown of Acting” achiever (having won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony for his film work) Jeremy Irons and Irish actress Sinéad Cusack.
