Excited by the promise of adventure that Sanditon offers, Charlotte is a young woman of enormous energy and forthright opinions who shows an eagerness to be involved in the development of the town and the people within it. Open and optimistic in spirit, she’s excited by the changes the 19th Century world is offering and she’s ready for a new life; a truly modern Austen heroine.

Sidney is complex, nuanced and unpredictable. Changeable and at times irascible, Sidney can also tease and provoke. Slow to trust people, but intensely loyal to his family and friends, his older brother Tom sees Sidney as instrumental to the success of the Sanditon project. A self-made man, his society connections are essential to drumming up support for the town. His irritable behaviour masks old emotional wounds that are yet to heal.

Grande-Dame Lady Denham, having done very well by marriage, now presides over the staggering Sanditon House estate and is sitting on quite the fortune. Despite having absolutely no intention of dying, a twisting rivalry for her favour has developed between her potential heirs. A truth-teller, Lady Denham says what she means, directly, and rarely keeps those opinions to herself. A terrible miser and often an opponent of progress, as principal investor in the Sanditon project, Lady Denham holds great sway over the town’s fate.

Tom is the principle architect, administrator and financier for Sanditon, as it grows into a major seaside resort. Popular, warm and generous, Tom is never short of grand ideas…or the enthusiasm and excitement by which to drum up support for them. Tom’s eagerness is rarely dented by anything or anyone, sometimes to the frustration of those around him more clearly able to see the facts before them. Beneath his natural bonhomie, Tom does feel a great deal of pressure. He knows the strain he has put on his wife and family, and the expectations of his backers, not least the formidable Lady Denham and cannot conceive of failure.

Tom’s long-suffering wife, Mary must share her husband with his obsessive vision of Sanditon. Kind and patient, Mary grounds Tom and focuses his sometimes scattergun thoughts. Clearly delighted to have another woman to talk with, Mary welcomes Charlotte into her family and brings a calm wisdom to Trafalgar House.

Edward is an extremely handsome although not altogether bright individual, who has an eye for women and extravagance. Edward is arrogant and entitled and his sole preoccupation is to ingratiate himself with Lady Denham and acquire her fortune. He has a complex emotional and at times manipulative relationship with his step-sister Esther and a fascination with his main rival for the Denham fortune, Clara Brereton.

Esther is caustic and astonishingly frank in offering her opinion when she chooses to. Esther uses her withering put downs and aloofness like an armour to protect herself against the emotional frustration she feels over her unrequited love for Edward. Along with her step-brother, Esther forms part of a toxic competition to win the favour and fortune of her aunt, Lady Denham.

On the surface at least, Clara presents as sweet and subservient. Yet this calculating and ruthless beauty is constantly looking for new means with which to leverage an advantage over her opponents. Clara has a skill for manipulation and has no shame in flaunting her sexuality to win over those around her. As the poorest of poor relations to Lady Denham, Clara’s background has given her a determination to succeed and a strong sense of independence. She has had to fight to survive and won’t give up now.

Young Stringer is Tom Parker’s right hand man; he is the foreman of the Sanditon building project. Charming, ambitious and talented, Stringer embraces the era of ‘progress’. Stringer believes that the world is changing and that with hard work and talent, a man can move up the social ladder and advance his career and prospects. Yet these high expectations also set him up for frustration and tension with Tom.

Arthur is a very contradictory figure. The youngest of the Parker brothers, and apparently living with his sister Diana, Arthur isn’t married and seems in no rush to be. Arthur constantly complains of ill health, but rarely actually appears to have any symptoms. Arthur is a huge fan of food and drink, and has a great deal of faith in their restorative power after any particularly strenuous activity. Arthur is certainly considered by many to be something of a buffoon, but beneath the surface, Arthur has a wise head.

Diana is the Parker brothers’ only sister, and with Arthur she forms something of a double act. Frequently worried for Arthur’s health and often mothering him, Diana herself could be considered a severe hypochondriac. Gossipy Diana spends a great deal of time speculating on the comings and goings within the town. Quick to jump to the worst possible conclusion and neurotic, Diana also has a loyalty and belief in her family that few can match.

Incredibly rich and titled, Babington is decent, affable, and a very good friend to Sidney. He somehow manages to see past Esther’s frosty hauteur - the ruder she is to him, the more appealing he finds her.