REVIEW: ‘Sanditon’ from ‘Masterpiece’ on PBS, now available on DVD and Blu-ray
Image courtesy of PBS / Provided by official site.
Sanditon, the eight-part TV series based on an unfinished Jane Austen novel, is a sweeping epic from the Masterpiece program on PBS. Season one is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
The show depicts the drama surrounding a resort town on England’s southern coast. Sanditon is picture-perfect and seems destined toward a profitable future, but it’s going to need the business skills of some locals. There’s Lady Denham (Anne Reid), who is the wealthiest person in town and helps to host the first-ever ball in Sanditon during episode one. Aiding her in selling the image of this resort town is Tom Parker (Kris Marshall), who the audience first meets on the road as he’s heading for the seaside village. He’s trying to make haste with his carriage through a rough track, and this causes him to crash and injure himself near the countryside home of the Heywood family.
There, Tom and his wife Mary (Kate Ashfield) meet Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), billed as a sensible and naïve young woman with 11 siblings. As these things go, Charlotte hitches a ride with Tom and Mary, and the three head for Sanditon and its promising future.
Charlotte quickly becomes the center of the narrative. She is an outsider in town, coming from a humble background and not quite fitting in with the elite vacationers, but she makes the most of the opportunity. She enjoys some sun bathing in the sea and tries to impress Lady Denham with her manners and politeness. As the ball approaches in the first episode, Charlotte meets a trio of men who change her fate in Sanditon.
Tom has two brothers: Arthur Parker (Turlough Convery), a lovable buffoon in episode one, and Sidney Parker (Theo James), a handsome suitor who is bringing his wealthy friends to the resort town in a bid to convince them to buy property. It becomes quite clear that Sidney and Charlotte will have a relationship of some kind, but what the relationship will be is most uncertain — and it doesn’t help that Sidney has an evil, vindictive streak.
Another character to keep an eye on is Sir Edward Denham (Jack Fox), nephew and heir to Lady Denham. He is a troublemaker, and some of his troubles spill out in front of Charlotte one day when she’s walking through the woods. A latecomer to the ball who also receives much time throughout the expansive story is Miss Lambe (Crystal Clarke), a Black heiress who faces discrimination while visiting Sanditon.
This cast of characters is finely drawn and rich in historical detail thanks to creator Andrew Davies. They are individuals connected and separated by attraction, class and custom. Their many little dramas are set against a picturesque seaside town that is equal parts quaint and mysterious, and their period costumes are wonderfully realized.
The acting is excellent, especially from Williams, who needs to hold much of the show on her shoulders. It’s always a joy to have Reid in an ensemble, and her witticisms as Lady Denham are some of the verbal highlights of Sanditon. There’s much to appreciate in Clarke’s and Ashfield’s performances as well, and it is nice to see complex female characters receive some well-deserved airtime, even though they are populating a time period rife with sexism.
Sanditon, which is begging for a second season, is a delightful journey to the southern coast of England featuring a cast of characters brimming with passion, personal secrets and the promise of progress.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Sanditon. Created by Andrew Davies. Based on the unfinished novel by Jane Austen. Starring Rose Williams, Theo James, Kris Marshall, Kate Ashfield, Crystal Clarke, Jack Fox, Turlough Convery and Anne Reid. Eight parts. Currently available on DVD and Blu-ray from PBS. Click here for more information.
Thank you for writing about Sanditon. It is the best period drama I have ever seen, but it desperately needs another season.
Sanditon is my favourite TV series. It had me hooked from the beginning. Quality performances, riveting storyline and sublime music. Most definitely deserves a Season 2.
This is my favorite show ever which is why I will never stop fighting for another season to finish the story. The cast ensemble is out of this world & something that I’ve never seen before. ❤️
All the praise for Sanditon could be coming from my heart; the show is mesmerising, fresh, beautifully acted, set in splendid landscape&building… Addictive!
Sanditon = 🏆🥇🏅⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ❤️
Sanditon is 🤩🤩🤩🤩 and it deserves a second season!!!!!
Thank you so much for writing about Sanditon! A truly special show that deserves another season
Thanks so much for the great review. Sanditon is a fantastic show which brings modern storylines to a classic Jane Austen. Here’s to hoping for another season!
Sanditon is the best show ever for me and I am a series junkie. It has everything: friendship, love, passion, family, loyalty, greed, envy, jealousy…. no show has ever fascinated me so much.
Thank you for this delightful review of a much beloved series! The writing, production and acting are stellar. We have grown to love these characters and hold them close to our hearts. We hold on to hope for a second season! Please watch and you’ll understand why global fans have been very vocal about a continuation!
Thanks for the review. Sanditon is my favorite show, the best period drama, a beautiful story, with a great script, the best cast and a wonderful soundtrack . The only thing missing is a Second Season ♥️
Sanditon is such a great story. It introduces us to our new favorite Austen characters. It is fresh and takes the story in new directions…less aristocratic drawing rooms, more workers and entrepreneurs. It is fun! The music and set design give it almost a “frontier” feel. It will be a classic for years to come.
This is a great review.I agree that Rose Willams does an amazing job of carrying the show on her shoulders, but you don’t mention the powerful chemistry between her and Theo James. James is wonderful as Sidney Parker and shows a lot of range in a very different role for him. Both performances are subtle and complex and one of the reasons the show is so compelling.
Thank you for writing such an enjoyable review. Sanditon is the perfect period drama. It captivates your attention, draws you in, and stirs your emotions. The script was superb, the acting was impeccable, the score was compelling. The entire production was outstanding! It most definitely begs for second season.
Sanditon is the best period drama I have seen so far. It’s beautiful, captivating and quite addictive. Loved by a world wide audience.
Sanditon is such a great show. Great cast, costumes, and sets. Plus, lots of drama. Highly recommend!
#Sanditon is pure magic! If you haven’t visited yet, give yourself that opportunity! Soon you will fall in love with the place, its quarky inhabitants & magnificent visitors! The best seaside resort on the south coast indeed!
Sanditon is the best show out in TV show history. The cast and crew are amazing and the plot is so good. It’s needs another season to help tie up some loose ends but you will not regret watching this beautiful regency period show
Thank you for the review of Sanditon. It’s a beautiful Jane Austen adaptation and has a phenomenal cast. The writing is beautiful and the production quality is stunning.
I enjoyed your review and support, but must question why Theo James portrayal of Sidney Parker wasn’t mentioned. He was outstanding in every way, and deserves award nominations for this role.
Sanditon is a great show. The best Jane Austen adaptation in 25 years. The chemistry is some of the best I have ever seen between actors.
Thank you for the accurate review of this great Series. It is almost a hybrid work as a Period Drama, and for myself, the best Period Drama and portrayal of Austen’s work to date. By balancing the weight of historical accuracy and flushing out the characters a bit more in depth, it really does a great service to illuminate Jane Austen’s work, life and times. It is very deserving, as you say, of being continued over the apex. It is beautiful in every way.
Sanditon is my favorite! You won’t find anything more relevant, romantic, or racy than this Jane Austen adaptation.
Sanditon is a special period drama. I just love it. The story, the music, the chemistry between the main characters. I highly recommend it!
Thank you for reviewing Sanditon! I absolutely love this series! The casting is perfection. The writing, brilliant. The scenery, breathtaking. The soundtrack, beautiful… so much love from every crew member went into this series and it shows! It definitely deserves a second season!
I absolutely adore this show & watch it every single day. I need more & for it to be finished. This year has been horrible & Sanditon has gotten me through it. 🙏🤞🎩👒❤️ 🎄 Happy Holidays!
I loved Sandition! The acting was superb. Especially between Sidney and Charlotte—words were not needed to tell what was going on between them! The photography and scenery were beautiful. Well done by everyone. Would like another season.
I didn’t think I could get enough of Jane Austen then here comes this masterpiece! If they don’t renew for another season I don’t know what I would do!
I just recently saw all three seasons of Sanditon, and while I greatly enjoyed it all and found much that was very well-done , one aspect drove me absolutely bonkers, though strangely I have found no mention of it anywhere online.
All would-be well-presented young men in the series sport the modern fashion of designer stubble without exception – which no man in the early nineteenth century would have been seen dead with. Indeed, facial hair didn’t become fashionable among the upper classes until the Victorian age. Sydney Parker and Alexander Colborne both look idiotic, as indeed does Miss Heywood with her messy, loose hair blowing around her face everywhere except at a ball. In as well-made series as this one mostly is, I can only wonder that the makers didn’t think to be true to the period they were dealing with.