A major ‘Sanditon’ character won’t be back next season

It’s been a rollercoaster week for Sanditon fans!

First we had the wonderful news on Thursday that the much-loved period drama had been renewed for another two seasons, despite being officially cancelled last year.

Then yesterday, PBS revealed some less welcome news that’s left a lot of fans disappointed.

Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, the series aired in the UK back in 2019, then premiered in the US last January.

Fans campaigned spectacularly over the past year for Sanditon to return, but it looks like they won’t be getting the resolution to Season 1’s cliffhanger ending that they were hoping for.

Yes, the rumours are sadly true: Theo James won’t be returning as Sidney Parker.

The official Facebook page for Sanditon announced: “Sanditon will return with seasons 2 and 3 and continue Charlotte’s journey through life and love.

“While Sidney Parker will not return, rest assured that an abundance of romance and adventure lies ahead for the Sanditon heroine. We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store…”

Theo James is set to begin filming a new TV series based on The Time Traveller’s Wife soon, and the busy star’s availability may have been a key issue.

The 36-year-old actor has issued a statement, however, explaining that he never intended to return to the role after Season 1.

Theo James said: “Although I relished playing Sidney, for me, I’ve always maintained that his journey concluded as I wanted it to.”

He added: “The broken fairy-tale like ending between Charlotte and Sidney is different, unique and so interesting to me and I wish the cast and crew of Sanditon every success with future series.”

On the positive side, we do know that Rose Williams will definitely be back as Charlotte Heywood!

PBS has teamed up with BritBox in the UK to make Season 2 and Season 3.

The new episodes will premiere on PBS Masterpiece in the US.

Over in the UK, they’ll each debut on BritBox, then air at a later date on ITV.

In the meantime, fans can listen to the music from the series and read The World of Sanditon: The Official Companion, a stunning book providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show.

Sanditon is available on DVD on Amazon.