Sanditon star Charlotte Spencer, who played Esther Babington, will not be returning for season 3.
Speaking to Decider, the Sanditon showrunner Justin Young said that season 2 was “the end of Esther’s story” following the character’s marriage to Lord Babington in the latest season.
“I think Esther, where we leave her at the end of season 2, I think she’s got everything she’s ever wanted. She’s happy, married, and now she has a child that she adores so I think that’s the end of Esther’s story as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
“I’ve always said with respect to this show, I think the way we built it is that, like a novel, I think we have to honour that characters have finite stories.
“So when their stories are done, rather than just having them in the kind of ensemble treading water, I’d rather just say that’s the end of their story and they move on and we bring new characters in.”
According to TVLine, Spencer has officially left the show, having signed on to star in upcoming BBC drama The Gold.
RadioTimes.com has reached out to BritBox and Charlotte Spencer for comment.
Spencer isn’t the only Sanditon star who won’t be returning for season 3, with Young confirming that Tom Weston-Jones, who plays Colonel Lennox, won’t be reprising his role in the next season.
A number of actors from Sanditon’s debut season left the show before its second, including Mark Stanley, Leo Suter and Theo James – who played main love interest Sidney Parker.
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