Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon to become ITV series drama written by Andrew Davies

The novel was written just months before Austen's death and tells the story of unconventional and impulsive Charlotte Heywood and her relationship with humorous and wild Sidney Parker

by Rose Hill, July 10th, 2018. The Daily Mirror

Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon is set to be adapted for TV for the very first time.

The romantic novelist's final incomplete novel has been commissioned by ITV and has been written by Andrew Davies, who also wrote the screenplay for the BAFTA-winning 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth.

Davies also wrote screenplays for War & Peace, Little Dorrit, Bleak House and Vanity Fair.

Sanditon was written just months before Austen's death and tells the story of unconventional and impulsive Charlotte Heywood and her relationship with humorous and wild Sidney Parker.

When an accident results in Charlotte moving from her rural hometown of Willingden to the coastal resort of Sanditon, Charlotte is exposed to the intrigues and dalliances of the seaside and its characters depending on its commercial success.

ITV are producing the lavish series with Red Planet Pictures and Masterpiece and will be comprised of eight hour-long episodes.

ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill said: “It’s a rich, romantic, family saga built upon the foundations Jane Austen laid. There is no one better to adapt her unfinished novel than Andrew who has an incredible track record for bold and original adaptations.

"We’re delighted to commission Sanditon from Belinda Campbell and her team at Red Planet Pictures." 

Meanwhile screenwriter and executive producer Andrew Davies spoke about his excitement of the new ITV series.

He said: "Jane Austen managed to write only a fragment of her last novel before she died - but what a fragment! Sanditon tells the story of the transformation of a sleepy fishing village into a fashionable seaside resort, with a spirited young heroine, a couple of entrepreneurial brothers, some dodgy financial dealings, a West Indian heiress, and quite a bit of nude bathing.

"It's been a privilege and a thrill for me to develop Sanditon into a TV drama for a modern audience."

Casting has not yet been confirmed.

ITV has previously adapted four of Austen's novels in the past. In 2007, Persuasion, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey aired on TV, while Emma, starring Kate Beckinsale, was released in 1996.