“Sanditon” is sexy escapism for winter, tart and political, gorgeous and honest. Austen would have loved it.

Andrew Davies has the witty sense and sensibility to carry the story forward, concocting a delightful diversion that feels to her manner born. Charlotte Heywood (the effervescent Rose Williams), is a quintessential Austen heroine. [6-19 Jan 2020, p.8]

A delight, as it blends the costume drama conventions we’ve come to know and love with bracingly contemporary elements.

It doesn’t click entirely with Austen’s vision — comic ironic wit and misunderstanding that inevitably lead to lessons learned, love found, and marriage vows spoken — and it may well trigger Austen loyalists. But without the Austen connection — it’s a reasonably absorbing and pretty story that will ring all the pleasure bells for “Masterpiece” diehards.

It’s tough to say how to square the final episode’s ending with the truly lovely production that precedes it. Because regardless of what Sanditon does at the end, the first episodes are completely enjoyable, and as Charlotte says to a friend when the series comes to a close, “I do not regret the time I spent there.”

Every box is ticked off to great satisfaction or dull predictability depending on where you stand on the period drama tolerance scale.

As Charlotte, Williams lacks sincerity, often lapsing into period drama caricature, all quivering mouth and shining, eager eyes. In fact, most of the performances here feel cliched and devoid of any nuance – not helped by the rather on-the-nose script.