Acclaimed screenwriter Andrew Davies has likened his new adaptation of Jane Austen's Sanditon to Love Island.
Davies, who has adapted classic novels including Pride and Prejudice and War and Peace for the small screen, has now dramatised Austen’s unfinished novel for ITV.
The new series follows the story of Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) who moves to the seaside resort of Sanditon, where she meets a string of potential suitors.
Speaking at the launch of the drama last night, Davies drew parallels between his new project and the ITV2 dating show, noting how both see young women making choices about love.
“It’s a bit like Love Island, really,” he said. “I mean, is she just friend-zoning him?”
“I confess I am a fan of Love Island.”
Davies added that he would “like to make it illegal” to watch the drama on smartphones, as viewers will not be able to take in the full scale of the scenery and the intricate costumes.
“All this fabulous scenery, and the costumes and interior sets are just so wonderful in this show. I’d just like to make it illegal to watch it on phones,” he said.
The series will also star Theo James, Jack Fox, Kris Marshall and Anne Reid.
Austen is thought to have started writing Sanditon in January 1817, completing 11 chapters before stopping around two months later.
Biographers believe that illness may have prevented the author, who died in July 1817 after a period of ill health, from continuing.
Sanditon airs on ITV in the autumn.
