‘Captivating’ ITV Austen period drama fans hail ‘much better than Pride and Prejudice’

Viewers are calling this period drama on ITVX the ‘best Jane Austen adaptation’, with fans saying it surpasses the beloved Pride and Prejudice.

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Viewers say they’re ‘completely hooked’ to the series(Image: Red Planet/ITV)

Devotees of Jane Austen period dramas have cause for celebration, as another ‘masterpiece’ series awaits their discovery. Audiences have declared they’ve never been so ‘intensely swept away by a series’, with viewers lauding the ‘profoundly juicy’ and ‘splendid’ period drama.

Some have even drawn comparisons to another beloved Austen classic, Pride and Prejudice, claiming this surpasses it. The series comes from the pen of Andrew Davies — the very writer who adapted Austen’s 1813 Pride and Prejudice novel for television in 1995, and who also crafted acclaimed adaptations including Middlemarch and Bleak House.

Sanditon, available to stream without charge on ITVX, is a period drama adapted from Austen’s final known work bearing the same title, though it remained incomplete following the esteemed author’s death before she could finish the tale. Austen’s unfinished manuscript contained 24,000 words written before her passing in 1817, and due to the fragmentary nature of the story, her original text formed the foundation for most of the series’ opening episode.

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The series has been adapted from an unfinished Jane Austen novel(Image: Red Planet/Joss Barratt/ITV)

Subsequently, Davies employed the cherished author’s established characters to bring the narrative to its conclusion independently, reports the Liverpool Echo.

This Regency-era period drama has garnered admirers globally, leaving audiences thoroughly entranced and ‘completely hooked’ on the series. Sanditon’s official synopsis describes: “About Charlotte Heywood, a spirited and impulsive woman, who moves from her rural home to Sanditon, a fishing village attempting to reinvent itself as a seaside resort.”

The series made its UK debut in August 2019 across eight episodes, before ITV axed it in December of that year. Following persistent fan campaigns and backing from PBS through its ‘Masterpiece’ anthology alongside BritBox, the show was granted a reprieve, with a second and third series subsequently commissioned.

Featuring Rose Williams, Theo James, Kate Ashfield, Crystal Clarke, Turlough Convery, Jack Fox, Kris Marshall, Anne Reid, Lily Sacofsky, and Charlotte Spencer, Sanditon has firmly established itself as a beloved period drama since its original broadcast.

Much of the filming took place across Somerset, with coastal locations including Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare, and Brean all featuring prominently, while Dyrham Park near Bath doubled as Sanditon House.

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Audiences have been left ‘swooning’ over the series(Image: Red Planet/Joss Barratt/ITV)

Viewers have been left utterly enraptured by the production, with one critic writing: “An intoxicating pleasure bomb that will have you swooning and screaming at your TV screen.”

Another reviewer commented: “Based on Jane Austen’s final unfinished novel of the same name, Sanditon has all the author’s requisite traits: a plucky heroine, a bevy of handsome suitors, and plenty of Regency-era drama.”

One critic said: “A profoundly juicy watch that will both enrapture and enrage its audience – and I loved every second of it.”

Meanwhile, another reviewer suggested Jane Austen herself would’ve approved: “Sanditon is sexy escapism for winter, tart and political, gorgeous and honest. Austen would have loved it.”

Viewers have been similarly captivated, with one fan declaring: “Never in my life have I been so intensely swept away by a series. Sanditon is literally the best thing I’ve ever watched and I’m not exaggerating. The acting!! The ACTING!! Superb. The storyline is so captivating. I’m only sad that we won’t get another season.”

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Viewers can’t stop raving about the ‘excellent’ Austen period drama(Image: Red Planet Pictures/ITV)

Another audience member praised the series: “This show is a beautiful story with vivid characters that are so relatable. Jane Austen’s final, unfinished work was brought to life beautifully by all involved. The world needs more of this show! There is so little good content in the world now, so to have a show that is wholesome and that leaves the audience wanting more is so rare!”.

One viewer’s assessment states: “Love the show! It is the perfect blend of romance, witty conversations, beautiful scenery and a little bit of drama. If you love period dramas with Austen spirit and romance definitely must watch!”

While an IMDB user review reads: “This could be my favourite Austen adaptation and I thought that nothing could top the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice.”

Another enthusiastic IMDB user review states: “Superb, splendid, sumptuous! It’s been a while that I have been so invested in a series! Sanditon is such a fresh and vibrant production. It has wonderful acting, stunning sets, beautiful photography, Austen’s wit and romance, but made for a modern audience.”

Meanwhile, one fan simply declared: “Wonderful adaptation. This series was as good as the series Pride and Prejudice.”

Sanditon is available to stream for free on ITVX.

SOURCE: WALESONLINE