Jane Austen's unfinished novel 'Sanditon' heads to small screen

Author Jane Austen's unfinished novel, Sanditon, is being adapted for a television series by PBS Masterpiece and British broadcaster ITV.

The eight-part series will be developed by screenwriter Andrew Davies, best known for War and Peace and Pride and Prejudice, according to a statement released by PBS Masterpiece.

The unfinished novel, written months before Austen's death in 1817, follows the story of Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming Sidney Parker.

When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort with the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success.

"Jane Austen managed to write only a fragment of her last novel before she died but what a fragment! Sanditon tells the story of the transformation of a sleepy fishing village into a fashionable seaside resort, with a spirited young heroine, a couple of entrepreneurial brothers, some dodgy financial dealings, a West Indian heiress, and quite a bit of nude bathing," Davies said.

"It's been a privilege and a thrill for me to develop Sanditon into a TV drama for a modern audience," he added.

The series will be executive produced by Rebecca Eaton and Belinda Campbell. It will be distributed by BBC Studios.

Filming is expected to begin in early next year.