UNFINISHED BUSINESS

ROSE WILLIAMS STARS IN AN ADAPTATION OF JANE AUSTEN’S INCOMPLETE MANUSCRIPT…

You may be wondering why, amid all the Pride And Prejudices, Sense And Sensibilities and Emmas, you haven’t seen many adaptations of Jane Austen’s Sanditon. But there’s a very good reason for that: she died before she could finish it, and only 11 chapters of

the book were completed. However, award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies has taken on the job of continuing the story for this eight-part adaptation, starring Rose Williams as Austen’s final heroine, Charlotte Heywood. Inside TV chatted to Rose on set to find out what we can expect…

How does it feel to play a Jane Austen heroine?

It’s great! It’s not something I ever expected – it all came as such a surprise, and every day I still have that kind of ‘wow!’ feeling when looking around the set. Charlotte’s a bit more modern than the heroines you’ve seen before. She’s headstrong, she’s been raised on a farm, and she’s the eldest of 12 children. Charlotte has grown up taking care of the children and working on the farm, which has given her a strong moral backbone.

Charlotte is invited along to Sanditon after coming to the rescue of Tom Parker, who is building the town. What does she make of it?

It’s a whole new world. She’s never come across the upper class – these are all characters she had imagined existing, but had never seen in real life. So when she meets them, it’s not quite what she expected. She’s witness to dysfunction she’s not seen before – yet it’s also a dream come true to escape her more basic way of life.

What sets Charlotte apart from other Austen heroines?

For me, it’s the fact that she’s inspired by Tom Parker’s vision of building this town. She’s interested in architecture and the way in which he’s bringing his vision to fruition. Her focus isn’t on finding a husband, and her romantic arc is that love finds her rather than being her top priority – for me, that was really refreshing.