''Sanditon'' is a British

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

television series adapted by Andrew Davies from an unfinished manuscript by

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

and starring Rose Williams,

Theo James Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

, and

Ben Lloyd-Hughes Benedict Lloyd-Hughes (born 14 April 1988) is a British actor. He is known for portraying Josh Stock in the British series '' Skins'' (2007) and for his role as Will in the film '' Divergent'' (2014). He plays Tsar Alexander in the 2016 BBC tel ...

. Set during the

Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. George III of the United Kingdom, King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 18 ...

, the plot follows a young and naive heroine as she navigates the new seaside resort of Sanditon. Due to the unfinished nature of the novel (Austen completed only eleven chapters), the original work was used for the majority of the first episode, and then Davies used the developed characters to complete the story. The novel is set in a seaside town during a time of social change. At the time of her death in 1817, Austen had completed 24,000 words of the novel. The series first aired on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2019 in eight parts, and in the United States on 12 January 2020 on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, which supported the production as part of its ''

Masterpiece A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

'' anthology. A second and third series were commissioned in May 2021, as part of a collaboration between PBS and

BritBox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

, with ITV acquiring the series for later linear broadcast (i.e.,

broadcast programming Broadcast programming is the practice of organizing or ordering (scheduling) of broadcast media shows, typically radio and television, in a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters use broadcast automatio ...

; compare, OTT).

Overview

A chance accident brings Charlotte Heywood to Sanditon, a seaside resort on the cusp of dramatic change. Spirited and unconventional, Charlotte is initially keen to experience everything the town has to offer but is then shocked by its scheming and ambitious inhabitants and intrigued by the secrets they share. When Charlotte is tactlessly forthright about the family of enthusiastic entrepreneur Tom Parker, she immediately clashes with his handsome but wild younger brother Sidney. Amidst the rival suitors and unexpected danger, can Charlotte and Sidney see past each other's flaws and find love?

Cast

Main

* Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood *

Kate Ashfield Kate Ashfield (born 28 May 1972) is an English actress, who has appeared in stage, TV and film roles, most famously in her role as Liz in the 2004 zombie comedy ''Shaun of the Dead''. She is the co-writer of the 2017 TV series ''Born to Kill''. ...

as Mary Parker *

Crystal Clarke Crystal Clarke (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tina Argyll in the BBC and Amazon Prime miniseries ''Ordeal by Innocence (TV series), Ordeal by Innocence'' (2018) and Georgiana Lambe in the ITV (TV network), ITV a ...

as Georgiana Lambe *

Turlough Convery Turlough Convery (born 18 March 1991) is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles in series 3 of the BBC America series '' Killing Eve'' and in the ITV series ''Sanditon''. He has appeared in films such as ''Ready Player ...

as Arthur Parker * Jack Fox as Sir Edward Denham *

Kris Marshall Kristopher Marshall (born 11 April 1973) is an English actor, starring in films, television and on stage for more than 20 years. He has played Nick Harper in ''My Family'', Colin Frissell in the 2003 film ''Love Actually'', Gratiano in ''The Me ...

as Tom Parker *

Anne Reid Anne Reid, MBE (born 28 May 1935) is a British stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role ...

as Lady Denham * Lily Sacofsky as Clara Brereton * Charlotte Spencer as Esther, Lady Babington (née Denham)

Series 1

as Sidney Parker *

Alexandra Roach Alexandra Elizabeth Roach (born 20 August 1987) is a Welsh actress best known for her roles as Becky in ''Utopia'' and DS Joy Freers in ''No Offence''. She has also made appearances in series including '' Being Human'', ''Inside No. 9'', ''Blac ...

as Diana Parker *

Matthew Needham Matthew George Timothy Needham (born 13 April 1984) is a British actor. He has worked on stage and screen, appearing in television series such as '' Casualty'', '' Endeavour'', and ''Sanditon''. For his performance in the play ''Britannicus'', h ...

as Mr. Crowe *

Mark Stanley Mark Robert Speight, known professionally as Mark Stanley, is an English actor. He portrayed Grenn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He is also known for his roles in the films ''Kajaki'' and '' Our Kind of Traitor'', and the series ''Dic ...

as Lord Babington *

Leo Suter Leo Suter (born 26 September 1993) is an English actor. Biography Suter was born in London, and educated at Colet Court, St Paul's School, and New College, Oxford, where he read Human Sciences. He began acting while studying in school at the ...

as James Stringer

Series 2

* Maxim Ays as Captain William Carter * Frank Blake as Captain Declan Fraser * Rosie Graham as Alison Heywood *

as Alexander Colbourne * Alexander Vlahos as Charles Lockhart *

Tom Weston-Jones Tom Weston-Jones (born 29 June 1987) is an English actor, known for his role in ''Copper'' and for playing Richard Lee in ''Warrior'' (2019). Early life and education Weston-Jones was born in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, and was brought ...

as Colonel Francis Lennox

Recurring cast

Kevin Eldon Kevin Eldon (born 2 October 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including ''Fist of Fun'', '' This Morning with Richard Not Judy'', '' Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge' ...

as Mr. Hankins *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough (born 10 May 1968) is an English actor. He has appeared in films including ''The Madness of King George'' (1994), ''Gosford Park'' (2001), ''Vera Drake'' (2004), ''The History Boys'' (2006), ''The King's Speech'' (2010 ...

as Dr. Fuchs *

James Atherton James Atherton (born James Conway; 16 July 1987) is an English actor, known for his roles as Will Savage on ''Hollyoaks'' and Jamie Bowman on ''Coronation Street''. In 2017, he appeared in the stage production of ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too''. In ...

as Fred Robinson * Jack Brady as Mr. Howard * Isobel Hawkridge, Molly Bishop, Isaac Vincent-Norgate as the Parker children: Alicia, Jenny and Henry

Series 1

Elizabeth Berrington Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English actress and graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art; she is best known for her roles as Ruby Fry in '' Waterloo Road'', Paula Kosh in '' Stella'', Mel Debrou in ''Moving Wall ...

as Mrs. Griffiths * Mollie Holder as Phillida Beaufort *

Rob Jarvis Robert S Jarvis (born 1965) is an English television and film actor. He is best known for his roles as Eddie in ''Hustle'' the long running BBC series, Graham Shand in ''Luther'' and as Russell Posner in ''Emmerdale''. From the Wirral, he is fre ...

as Isaac Stringer * Jyuddah Jaymes as Otis Molyneux *

Ruth Kearney Ruth Delia Kearney (born 11 November 1984) is an Irish actress, best known for her roles as Jess Parker in ''Primeval'', Daisy in ''The Following'', and London in ''Flaked'', a series on Netflix. Early life Kearney was born in London, England, ...

as Eliza Campion * Kayleigh-Paige Rees as Julia Beaufort *

Sophie Winkleman Sophie Lara Winkleman (born 5 August 1980) is an English actress. She is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent, a paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Early life Winkleman was born in Primrose Hill, London. He ...

as Susan, Lady Worcester

Series 2

* Sandy McDade as Miss Beatrice Hankins * Flora Mitchell as Leonora “Leo” Colbourne * Eloise Webb as Augusta Markham * Flo Wilson as Mrs. Wheatley

Guest cast

* Sarah Belcher as Mrs. Heywood * Clinton Blake as Sam Sidaway *

Liz May Brice Elizabeth May Brice (born 8 September 1975) is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's '' Bad Girls'', and Agent Johnson in '' Torchwood: Children of Earth''. Career Brice was born in R ...

as Mrs. Harries *

Jon Foster Jon Foster (born August 3, 1984) is an American actor and musician. His films include the drama ''The Door in the Floor'' (2004), the horror film '' Stay Alive'' (2006), the thriller '' Brotherhood'' (2010), and the drama ''Rampart'' (2011). Fos ...

as Beecroft *

Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in '' The Woman in Black'' and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in ''Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early life Rawli ...

as Mr. Heywood * Tessa Stephens as Alison Heywood

Episodes

Series overview

Series 1 (2019)

Series 2 (2022)

Series (Season) 2 and 3 were commissioned by the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for its ''Masterpiece'' anthology series. Season 2 premiered on 20 March 2022 in the US and Series 2 will air on 22 July 2022 in the UK.

Production

Many of the Sanditon scenes were filmed in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, including the seaside towns of

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...

, Brean and

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

Dyrham Park Dyrham Park () is a baroque English country house in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in South Gloucestershire, England. The house, attached orangery, stable block, and accompanying parish church are Grade I listed buildings, w ...

near

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

was the location for Sanditon House. The bridge at

Iford Manor Iford Manor () is a manor house in Wiltshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building sitting on the steep, south-facing slope of the Frome valley, in Westwood parish, about southwest of the town of Bradford-on-Avon. Its Grade I registered ...

was used in the first episode. Most of the interior filming was on interior and exterior sets built at

The Bottle Yard Studios The Bottle Yard Studios is a British film and television production studio facility in Bristol, South West England. It is the largest dedicated production space in the West of England. History The studios are located on Whitchurch Lane, approxima ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. Before the first series premiered in the United States, ITV cancelled it in December 2019. With the help of Masterpiece (PBS) and fans of the show, ''Sanditon'' was able to fundraise enough money to continue the series. Series two was announced to be released on 20 March 2022, followed by a third series. Three main actors from season one, Theo James, Mark Stanley, and Leo Suter had all moved on to new projects and did not return for season two. With Theo James’ (Sidney Parker) departure from the series, new cast members were announced, with Rose Williams reprising her role as Charlotte Heywood. Season 2 began filming in July 2021. Season 2 premiered on PBS on March 20, 2022 and Series 2 aired on ITV on 22 July 2022.

Critical reception

Critical reception has been mixed. Some UK media outlets reported that viewers were shocked at the depictions of sex and nudity in the opening episode, considering it to be untrue to the works of Jane Austen. Many viewers critiqued the ending as unusual and very "un-Austen-like". Viewers claimed Austen would have liked a happy ending for all the characters, as she has happy endings in all of her stories; however, this could have been a set up for a second season.

References

External links

* on

Masterpiece (TV series) ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...

* * {{Epguides, Sanditon 2019 British television series debuts 2010s British drama television series 2020s British drama television series ITV television dramas BritBox original programming Period television series English-language television shows Television shows set in Somerset Television shows based on works by Jane Austen