The New Cast & Characters of Season 2
Sanditon‘s sophomore season is chock full of intriguing, charming, and mysterious new characters. Learn all about the talented stars who joined the cast for Season 2, like the new men in Charlotte’s life, Charlotte’s sweet sister Alison, an offbeat artist, and more of the town’s latest residents.
- 1.
Ben Lloyd Hughes as Alexander Colbourne
Who Is Colbourne? A man of few words, Alexander Colbourne is thoughtful, cerebral even, and a man of passion, but he works furiously hard to contain it. He shuns society and loathes London, and considers balls and parties to be the lowest form of human misery. He’s a guardian and parent to his willful niece Augusta and his adventurous daughter Leonora. Like Charlotte, he has sworn off love and is determined to never risk hurting, or being hurt, ever again.
“A lot of things have happened to him in his life leading up to this point where we meet him,” said actor Ben Lloyd-Hughes. “This means he has forgotten how to socialize and he’s either consciously or subconsciously cut himself off from society, in a way.”
Even as a father and guardian, the mysterious man struggles to open himself up. “When we first meet Colbourne, he’s certainly on the side of authority and strictness with Leo, who he’s been raising since she was born, and Augusta, who he inherits when her mother dies,” Hughes continued. “I suppose with both, he’s frustrated about what kind of human beings they are to him, and he struggles with their identity. One of the journeys he might go on is accepting them as who they are as people rather than who he wants them to be.”
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Before his dashing days on Sanditon, Lloyd-Hughes appeared in TV series such as Skins and Casualty, and in films such as Divergent and its sequel Insurgent, as well as Me Before You (alongside All Creatures Great and Small star Matthew Lewis). And while Lloyd-Hughes may not be in the MASTERPIECE adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small, he did appear in a 2011 TV show called Young James Herriot.
Fun Fact: Lloyd-Hughes didn’t just talk the talk as an Austen man — he had to walk the walk, too! “I learned some archery and some horse riding and that was great,” he revealed. He also tried one Regency talent on his own — though it wasn’t exactly easy. “I suppose no one taught me about quill writing but I realized I was bad at it because I’m left-handed. So, I just smudged the ink everywhere.”
- 2.
Tom Weston-Jones as Colonel Lennox
Who is Colonel Lennox? Colonel Lennox is a genuine and gallant war hero who fought in Waterloo. He’s also aristocratic, dashing, and charming (which he hopes will win over a particular Sanditon heroine). As a proud leader, he commands absolute respect from his men, and nothing is more important to him than status and honor. Lennox is keen to establish himself as a respectable member of refined society.
“He’s a real beast of the military and a wealthy man,” actor Tom Weston-Jones described. “Lennox himself is yearning for something different. As you can imagine with someone who’s in the military, he has quite a transient lifestyle – he comes across multiple people, women, has some romances, dalliances and then moves on.”
But Sanditon proves to be an all-new kind of battlefield to the Colonel. “There are new fields to conquer” when he meets Charlotte, said Weston-Jones.. “It’s a curve ball — it wrong foots him. He finds her instantly quite beguiling and can’t stop himself from pursuing her.”
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Aside from Sanditon, Weston-Jones recently appeared in the TV series Shadow and Bone, and has previously appeared in the TV series Dickensian (as Meriweather Compeyson from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations), and in Troy: Fall of a City as the classic Trojan prince and warrior Hector.
Fun Fact: Like any true Austen man, Weston-Jones needed to have his dancing steps down for the series. Luckily, Weston-Jones had some help preparing. “The dance choreographer Sammy Murray is just brilliant. I felt instantly in very safe hands,” he confessed. “It was just drilling it in making sure that we feel like we’re servicing the character and not over performing the dance. With someone like Lennox, he wouldn’t try too hard at it, so we got to a place where it could feel very natural.”
- 3.
Rosie Graham as Alison Heywood
Who Is Alison? Charlotte returns to Sanditon after her heartbroken departure at the end of Season 1 — but this time, her spirited sister Alison gets to accompany her on the adventure. A hopeless romantic, Alison is also acutely aware (and quite excited about it) that it is soon her time to marry.
“Given that Alison is the second oldest, there is a bit of jealousy of Charlotte and her adventures [in Season 1], so when Alison arrives in Sanditon, she wants to make the most of her summer there,” actress Rosie Graham said. “[Alison] comes to Sanditon with the goal of finding and marrying a man. That’s what she reads in all of the romance novels and poetry that she loves so much. So for her, that’s how to achieve ultimate happiness. She’s also discovering a lot about herself and her idea of true love.”
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Sanditon isn’t Graham’s first period drama. She appeared in Outlander as Morna Cameron, the late daughter of Aunt Jocasta. (And she isn’t the lone MASTERPIECE star to appear in the time-traveling period series — Sanditon co-star Alexander Vlahos made his way onto the Outlander scene in the most recent season (Season 6). Grantchester star Tom Brittney also appeared in the show’s first and second seasons.
Fun Fact: It wasn’t just the boys who had to learn a few new things to truly become an Austen character. “I had to learn how to dance, which doesn’t come naturally to me,” Graham admitted. “I have two left feet, some would say.”
And it wasn’t just one kind of dance, either. “It was interesting learning the dances of that era and all the subtle things like the placements of hands. There’s a real contrast in the dances from Willingden in the barn where Alison is from, and the dances in Sanditon. It was nice to get to do both and let my hair down for the barn dances because they are very much like the Ceilidh’s [a traditional Socttish or Irish social gathering], and I do like those.”
- 4.
Alexander Vlahos as Charles Lockhart
Who Is Charles Lockhart? A Byronic artist, lover, critic and explorer in equal measures, Charles Lockhart is a rolling stone. When he comes to Sanditon on commission to paint portraits of the fashionable and wealthy residents, he has his eye on getting to know Georgiana Lambe. Steadfast in this endeavour, he engages the help of Arthur Parker, Georgiana’s close friend, despite the disapproval of her wary guardians, Tom and Mary Parker.
When auditioning for the role, Charles was described to Vlahos as “a rockstar,” the actor said. “They wanted him to be the most famous person Sanditon has ever seen, who brings with him a cool swagger…they spoke about him as if he was David Bowie. What would happen if David Bowie walked around Brighton? People would be turning their heads. So, that interested me.
“It’s the role that you dream of because I think Charles is probably the most modern of all the characters. I wanted to make Charles a renegade, so he would never wear a hat, nor a cane. He would never bow to anyone, even the ladies. When a character like that penetrates the sleepy seaside resort like Sanditon, it means that he completely shakes up everyone’s view of Regency England.”
Where You’ve Seen Him Before: Like Sanditon co-star Rosie Graham, Vlahos has appeared on the TV series Outlander, adapted from the popular books by author Diana Gabaldon. He’s also appeared in series such as Versailles and Death in Paradise.
- 5.
Frank Blake as Captain Fraser & Maxim Ays as Captain Carter
Who Are They? Captain Fraser and Captain Carter are two soldiers who serve under Colonel Lennox. Fraser is rugged and rough around the edges. He has a quick, teasing wit, but he’s harsher on himself than anyone else. He uses his humor as a defense mechanism, hiding his insecurities about his scars and lack of polish. But perhaps his days in Sanditon could bring new chances for the gruff soldier. “It’s a welcome change of pace from his war-torn days on the battlefield,” said actor Frank Blake.
Carter, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Fraser. He’s handsome and charming – a war hero who loves poetry and is in touch with his feelings. “He’s a fairly privileged young man,” actor Maxim Ays explained. “This kind of privilege brings a sense of immaturity… He is excited by his role in the world, by being in the army, and he has a romanticism about it, but isn’t aware of the reality of what this job is. There’s still a naivety and sense of excitement and adventure.”
On paper, he seems like the perfect match, but is he truly as noble as he wants others to believe? He falls in love fast, and one Sanditon lady quickly catches his eye (though perhaps not just his eye…)
To Carter, Fraser is more than just a comrade. “His relationship with Fraser is like that of a brotherly relationship,” Ays continued. “He’s learned almost everything in the army through Fraser. He’s someone he trusts. There’s a real bonding connection there and they clearly love and care for one another.”
Where You’ve Seen Them Before: Before his army marching days in Sanditon, Blake appeared in series such as Normal People, Game of Thrones, Bridgerton, and Vikings: Valhalla. Ays’ first role before becoming an Austen romantic was in the series Still So Awkward.
- 6.
Eloise Webb as Augusta Markham
Who Is Augusta? Augusta is Alexander Colbourne’s stubborn, difficult ward and niece, stuck in an awkward period of life. She’s not yet old enough to properly come out to society, but she’s too old to be treated like a child (like her cousin Leonora).
“[She’s] cheeky, sly, and super clever,” said actress Eloise Webb, who also described Augusta and Leonora as “partners in crime…They do everything together.”
Augusta enjoys constantly pushing against authority, often clashing with her uncle. She also gives poor Charlotte a run for her money. “She definitely pushes boundaries with Charlotte,” Webb explained. “She feels like she can outsmart Charlotte in certain ways, especially when it comes to reading, writing and poetry. But what she doesn’t realize is Charlotte is just as smart as she is, if not smarter. Augusta has a lot to learn from her, but she doesn’t see it that at first.”
Where You’ve Seen Her Before: In 2015, Webb starred in Cinderella as the young version of the titular princess — the adult version played by none other than Downton Abbey star Lily James. Webb has also appeared in series such as Queen’s Gambit (starring The Miniaturist star Anya Taylor-Joy) and The Great, as well as in films such as The Iron Lady. Eagle-eyed MASTERPIECE fans may also recognize her as young Diana from 2016’s Churchill’s Secret.
