‘Sanditon’ star reveals why she actually LIKED that controversial ending

Sanditon fans might have been left heartbroken by the way it ended, but one star loved it.

Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, the popular period drama aired in the UK last summer and in the US earlier this year.

Unfortunately, the UK ratings for Sanditon weren’t high enough for ITV to order more episodes and PBS confirmed in February that “there are no plans for another season.”

This news hit fans particularly hard due to the unexpected conclusion of Season 1’s finale.

Rather than giving Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and Sidney Parker (Theo James) a happy ending, writer Andrew Davies chose to have Sidney marry wealthy widow Eliza Campion (Ruth Kearney) for money, despite being in love with Charlotte.

However, Sanditon star Rose Williams, who played Charlotte, was actually fine with things were left for her character.

She told Decider: “I personally quite like it because I think it reflects real life.”

Williams explained: “I like the fact that, in the end, the marriage that occurs, the marriage that is forced upon Sidney is the marriage with Eliza because of money. And what we normally see is women having to marry for money or the marriage is forced upon the woman. But in this case, the marriage is forced upon the man, and the young woman is the one that can go off and live her life.”

She added: “That’s why I like it. Because Charlotte’s life is open, she can go and breathe. Her opportunities are open. She’s not locked into a marriage, actually maybe that’s what’s going to happen with Sidney.”

As for what the future held for Charlotte, the actress had her own ideas.

Williams speculated: “You know the scene at the end of Titanic, when it’s a shot of all of Rose’s accomplishments? The camera kind of looks across these pictures and frames, and you see her riding a horse and you see her driving a plane and you see her with kids. And you just see this life lived, after heartbreak or after love?

“I love that moment at the end of Titanic, and I imagine and wish for Charlotte to go and explore herself as a young woman. To not give up her interests and passion for architecture and ingenuity.

“I would hope that she maybe ventured to London, I would hope that she just went and lived her life, and took Sidney with her in her heart.”

If you’re missing Sanditon, you can now listen to the music from the series.

Fans can also read The World of Sanditon: The Official Companion, a gorgeous book providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show.

There was exciting Sanditon news last month as Amazon Prime Video hinted they might produce a second season.

Sanditon is available on DVD on Amazon.