Reason why there won’t be a season 4 of raunchy ITV period drama Sanditon

Many of you have been turning to other period dramas to fill the void after binging the first part of Bridgerton season three.

That includes raunchy Sanditon, which is also set in Regency era Britain and is named after the title of an unfinished manuscript by Jane Austen.

Andrew Davies, the developer of Sanditon's TV adaptation, referred to the source material for the first episode before taking creative control over the script for the episodes that followed.

However, fans were gutted to hear in 2022 that the show would be coming to an end after three series.

Ever since, people have been begging for another season, with one tweeting: “So, um, we’re campaigning for season 4 of #Sanditon, right? RIGHT?! We did it once before. We can bring it back. I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world and these characters.”

Someone else joked: “I must’ve mumbled when I asked for another season of Sanditon because they gave me Sex and the City instead.”

Theo James featured in the first season (ITV)

But it seems the cast and crew’s minds are made up, having previously spoken out on their thoughts about a good thing coming to an end.

Ben Lloyd-Hughes (who played Alexander Colbourne) explained to the Radio Times: "One thing I've learned in a not epically long career is never say never, but it certainly does feel like it's a great ending to a great three seasons that really puts a pin on a lot – if not all – of the storylines.

"And I know that no one wants it to be left on any cliff-hangers, so I think I'd much rather finish it that way and put everything to bed."

Sanditon ended after just three seasons, despite being a fan favourite (ITV)

It doesn’t sound like Theo James, who starred in season one as Sidney Parker, would be up for revisiting the franchise either, citing fairly similar reasons.

"Although I relished playing Sidney, for me, I've always maintained that his journey concluded as I wanted it to," he told Hello! magazine two years ago.

"The broken fairytale-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."

While you may not be getting a season four – well, not yet, at least – you can binge all three seasons of Sanditon now on ITVX.