Will there be a second season of ‘Sanditon’?

ITV has confirmed some bad news for Sanditon fans!

Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, the new TV period drama launched in the UK last autumn and premiered in the US last weekend.

The eight-part series starred Theo James (Downton Abbey), Kris Marshall (Death in Paradise) and Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax).

Despite plans for a second season, ITV has now officially announced that Sanditon won’t be returning to the channel.

A spokesperson from ITV told Radio Times: “We loved Sanditon and we were very proud to have it on ITV.”

They added: “We would have loved it to return, but unfortunately we just didn’t get the audience that would make that possible for us, which is heartbreaking for everybody involved in this wonderful adaptation.”

Austen’s original 11-chapter manuscript, written only months before her death in 1817, was brought to screen by Emmy and BAFTA-Award winning writer Andrew Davies (Pride & Prejudice, Les Misérables).

The first season is currently airing 9/8c on PBS Masterpiece on Sunday nights and is released on DVD next month.

The official synopsis read: “Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker.

“When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort of the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success.

“The twists and turns of the plot, which takes viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover herself… and ultimately find love.”

Sanditon is available on DVD on Amazon.