“It doesn’t matter what time period you put people in, we have the same urges and wants and needs and beliefs, even if society is cramping those”: Eloise Webb on Sanditon season three

If the references to rewatching the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice adaptation in the Barbie movie are anything to go by, many of us find comfort in a period drama. Jane Austen’s writing, in particular, seems to provide that escapism to a world of balls and bonnets, that drawn-out, slow-burn of a romance, that insight into human behaviour and relationships and the constraints society puts into them, which is ripe for returning to time and time again.

Sanditon is the latest Regency drama that captures all that allure, unsurprisingly also adapted by Andrew Davies. Based on Jane Austen’s last unfinished novel, the story quickly reaches beyond the pages she penned, but has been beautifully imagined. It follows young Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), who is swept up from village life into the world of the up-and-coming seaside town of Sanditon, and her brushes with various suitors and experiences of love.

The first season may have had a brooding Theo James (as Sidney Parker – this generation’s Mr Darcy) to pull viewers in, but the following season brought new characters and interweaving narratives to keep our attention, each just as engrossing as our protagonist’s. Now season three is here, and the question of whether Charlotte will ultimately find happiness hangs in the air.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking with Eloise Webb about her role as the precious young Augusta Markham, where we find her story in season three, and the enduring appeal of period drama.

Sarah Bradbury

Sanditon season three is released on ITVX on 17^th August 2023.

Watch the trailer for Sanditon season three here: