The Other Bennet Sister Star Reveals Health and Safety Concerns Behind Its Pride and Prejudice-Inspired Lake Scene

One of The Other Bennet Sister’s most memorable sequences was designed as a playful tribute to Colin Firth’s famous wet-shirt moment in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. But according to star Ella Bruccoleri, bringing the scene to the screen proved considerably more complicated than viewers might have realised.

Bruccoleri, who plays Mary Bennet in the BBC period drama, has revealed that an unexpected change of filming location created health and safety concerns for co-stars Donal Finn and Laurie Davidson, who were required to spend an extended period in the water.

Mary Bennet finally gets her own story

Inspired by the world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Other Bennet Sister shifts the attention to Mary, the frequently overlooked middle daughter of the Bennet family.

Following the marriages of her sisters and the death of her father, Mary leaves Longbourn and heads to London, beginning a new chapter that takes her far beyond the life she previously knew.

Her journey becomes one of independence and reinvention as she develops new friendships, discovers more about herself and encounters the possibility of romance.

The story takes Mary from her family home in Meryton to the social gatherings of Regency London and eventually to the dramatic landscapes of the Lake District, as she attempts to step beyond her sisters’ shadows and establish an identity of her own.

The lake scene became more difficult than expected

Romance becomes increasingly complicated when Mary finds herself caught between two potential suitors: Tom Hayward, played by Donal Finn, and Charles Ryder, portrayed by Laurie Davidson.

One particularly memorable sequence sees both men end up in a lake while Mary remains in a boat — an unmistakable nod to one of the most famous moments from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice series.

However, Bruccoleri explained that filming the sequence did not go according to the original plan.

The production had intended to shoot on another lake where the boats could be anchored to the bottom. That changed at the last moment after the water was tested and the location could no longer be used.

“It became quite stressful because the crew were supposed to shoot it on a different lake where they could anchor the boats to the bottom of it,” Bruccoleri explained.

“And then at the last minute, they tested the water and couldn’t use it, so then we had to use a different one.”

The change meant Finn and Davidson were required to remain in the water for a significant amount of time, leading to concerns about their wellbeing.

“Our lads were in the water for quite a long time, so there were big concerns about their health and safety,” Bruccoleri said.

Why the actors couldn’t simply hide wetsuits underneath

There had been a practical solution to help keep the two actors warm: wetsuits beneath their Regency costumes.

That plan, however, ran into another problem.

Bruccoleri explained that the period shirts worn by the actors became too transparent when wet, making it difficult to conceal wetsuits beneath them. As she put it, “vanity got in the way.”

Despite those behind-the-scenes complications, the finished sequence became a deliberate tribute to Colin Firth’s celebrated Pride and Prejudice moment.

Bruccoleri described the original scene as “one of the defining moments of British TV” and said it was fitting for the new drama to acknowledge it.

The hidden trick beneath Mary’s boat

There was also another piece of behind-the-scenes movie magic viewers would never know from watching the finished episode.

As Tom and Charles appear to struggle while pushing Mary’s boat back towards shore, the two men are not actually doing all the work.

Bruccoleri revealed that a female stunt performer was underneath the boat helping move it through the water.

“When the men are pushing it back, it looks like they’re working really hard and putting loads of effort in, but there’s a woman under the boat the whole way,” she explained.

Bruccoleri jokingly described the setup as “a really nice analogy for life,” with the two male characters appearing to provide all the muscle while a woman hidden beneath the boat was helping them along.

It is a light-hearted behind-the-scenes detail from a sequence that ultimately required considerably more planning, adaptation and physical effort than its playful appearance on screen suggests.

The Other Bennet Sister is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.