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Jenni Bayliss’ romance novel The Twelve Dates of Christmas (written under the name Jenny Bayliss) has been spreading holiday cheer since 2020. Now, the book is set to bring some U.K. seasonal charm to the screen.
Bayliss’ novel has been adapted into a new limited Hallmark series, Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas, starring Mae Whitman, Nathaniel Parker, Jane Seymour and Lucy Eaton.
The series follows Kate (Whitman), an England-based textile pattern designer who looks after her father in the wake of a motorbike accident. When Kate’s best friend, Laura (Eaton), signs her up for a matchmaking program called the 12 Dates of Christmas, she’s forced to get out of her normal routine in the name of love.
Hallmark Media/Photographer: Steffan Hill
Of the cast, Bayliss tells PEOPLE that Seymour, who plays a local widow named Evelyn, as well as Eaton, stuck out to her as portraying their characters closest to how she wrote them in the novel. “Jane Seymour is definitely Evelyn,” Bayliss says.
The author adds, “And Laura, when I was writing Laura, I obviously didn’t have Lucy in my head, but now it turns out that I did, if you know what I mean. As soon as I saw her, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Laura.’ ”
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But it was Whitman, stepping into the lead role, that particularly stuck out to her. “Mae is better than I could ever have hoped for because she’s so girl next door, and she so owns Kate’s character, and she’s obviously fabulous,” she says.
Bayliss, who also penned the holiday romances I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, also recalled feeling “casual” when she was first approached by creator, co-showrunner and screenwriter Erin Rodman about adapting Twelve Dates for the screen. After speaking with Rodman, however, things became more real.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
“I was actually allowed to be in the writers room, so I was seeing the changes as they were happening,” Bayliss says. “That was really lovely, really, to buzz off of everybody else. And everyone was chipping in. And so it has felt like a really natural progression.”
Despite the differences between the book and the show, the author notes her satisfaction with the final product. “I know that some authors, when they sell the rights to a book, that’s kind of it and then what happens to it is a surprise,” she shares.
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“But even though there’s lots of changes, it feels very natural. It feels like if I was writing it now, this is how I would write it,” Bayliss continues.
Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas premieres on Hallmark on Friday, Dec. 5. New episodes will release weekly until the series finale on Dec. 19.
