ITV has released the first look trailer for its brand new Jane Austen adaptation Sanditon, which filmed earlier this year at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in Bristol and the surrounding region.
Adapted by acclaimed and award winning screenwriter Andrew Davies, who also adapted War & Peace, Les Misérables and the original BBC version of House of Cards, Sanditon sees Austen’s original 11-chapter fragment brought to life in an eight-part series starring Rose Williams, Theo James, Anne Reid and Kris Marshall.
Written months before Austen’s death in 1817, 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.
The series will air in the UK on ITV this Autumn and on MASTERPIECE in America.
A major outdoor film set of a ‘quiet seaside town’ was built in The Bottle Yard Studios’ Back Lot by production company Red Planet Pictures (Death in Paradise, Dickensian).
The 1820’s Regency street façade measured 67 metres x 21 metres with heights of up to 10 metres. 22,000 square foot of indoor studio space were also transformed into incredibly detailed Regency England interiors.
Location filming in Bristol took place at The New Rooms and The Georgian House, assisted by Bristol Film Office. Locations further afield in North Somerset included Cleveden, Brean Beach, Sand Point and Uphill near Weston. Bath Film Office also supported filming at locations in North East Somerset.
At the time of filming, Alex Protherough, Head of Production, Red Planet Pictures said: “When looking for a suitable production base for filming Sanditon, we were immediately drawn to Bristol and the South West. There is a wealth of locations in this area, perfect for period drama, and particularly the Georgian period where our story is set.
“The country houses, Bath and its elegant Regency architecture, even the Somerset coastline all offer a wide range of locations perfect for Sanditon.
“The Bottle Yard Studios are perfectly located to access these locations, and they have more to offer. Sanditon was always going to require an element of set building, as is often the case with continuing drama productions of this size.
“The construction and studio spaces at the Bottle Yard have made Bristol the obvious place to base film and television production in the area.”
