‘Sanditon’: All of Charlotte’s Love Interests, Ranked

Did Charlotte end up with the right guy in the end? Over three seasons of PBS’s Sanditon, Rose Williams’ character had no shortage of love interests, from the dashing Sidney Parker to her brooding employer Alexander Colbourne. But some stood head and shoulders above the rest. Here’s our ranking of Charlotte’s love interests in Sanditon. 

[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the series finale of Sanditon.] 

5. Colonel Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones)

When Charlotte first met Colonel Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones) in season 2, it seemed like he might be a viable love interest. He was charming and urbane and he paid Charlotte a lot of attention, sending her flowers and flattering her whenever they met. But his true nature soon emerged. He ran up debts at every Sanditon business (shades of Wickham in Pride & Prejudice) and nearly ruined Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) by encouraging him to gamble. Then, he assaulted Charlotte at a ball, offering a glimpse at his violent nature. Plus, years earlier, he’d seduced Colbourne’s (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) late wife and then abandoned her. No tears were shed when Lennox and his regiment left Sanditon for India at the end of season 2. For Charlotte, the creepy Colonel was definitely a bullet dodged. 

4. Ralph Starling (Cai Brigden) 

Ralph Starling (Cai Brigden) was the boy next door that Charlotte’s parents desperately hoped she’d marry. The problem? Ralph and Charlotte didn’t have much in common beyond their similar upbringing. While Ralph seemed nice enough, he was also a boring stick in the mud. Yes, it was sweet when he bought her a book of poetry in an effort to show that he was aware of her interests. But he seemed uneasy by the way Charlotte behaved in Sanditon, suggesting he didn’t want her to grow or change. Meanwhile, Charlotte knew that she wanted more from life than what she’d get if she married Ralph. The best thing Ralph did for Charlotte was to graciously step aside and go home to Willingden once he finally realized she wasn’t in love with him. 

3. Sidney Parker (Theo James) 

Some Sanditon fans will surely object to placing Sidney in the No. 3 spot on this list. He was Charlotte’s first love, after all. She (and many viewers) were devastated at his off-screen death at the beginning of season 2, which meant that they could never be together. But would Charlotte and Sidney really have been a good match? He was rude and dismissive to her when they first met. Plus, he was older and more worldly than the then relatively naive – and at times, immature – Charlotte. (Remember the season 1 brothel scene?) Yes, it was heartbreaking when he broke things off with her at the end of season 1 so he could marry someone else to save his brother’s business. But ultimately, it might have been for the best. The loss of her first love allowed her to better understand herself and what she really wanted from a partner. 

2. James Stringer (Leo Suter) 

In Sanditon Season 1, Charlotte was so dazzled by Sidney that she barely looked twice at James Stringer (Leo Suter), the aspiring architect who had a serious crush on her. But with Sidney out of the picture, there might have been hope for him and Charlotte. Both had ambitions beyond the life they’d been born into. Assuming he found success in London, it’s easy to imagine a newly confident (and more financially secure) Stringer returning to Sanditon, where his and Charlotte’s friendship would blossom into romance. Unfortunately, between Sanditon’s initial cancellation and its surprise renewal, Suter was cast in Vikings: Valhalla, which meant he was unable to return for seasons 2 and 3, so that potential storyline never had a chance to play out on screen.  

1. Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) 

If you’ve already watched the Sanditon series finale (currently streaming on PBS Passport), you know that Charlotte and Colbourne end up together in the end. At first, we weren’t entirely sold on his broody, awkward character or the idea of Charlotte falling for her employer. But Colbourne proved to be a more interesting and complex person than it first seemed. Over the course of seasons 2 and 3, he and Charlotte gradually opened up to each other. With Charlotte’s help, he grew as a person as he learned to let go of some of his past demons and his guilt over the failure of his first marriage. Meanwhile, he repeatedly showed his respect for Charlotte and his desire to see her happy. After everything she’s been through, Colbourne truly feels like the right man for Charlotte. 

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