Bosses behind hit period drama Sanditon have opened up about when season two will be released - and it's sooner than we had expected!
MORE: Sanditon star celebrates change to show ahead of seasons two and three
Speaking during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Masterpiece producer Susanne Simpson revealed that, if all goes to plan, the series will be "with us next year".
As reported by Decider, she added that the cast and crew are "just about three weeks into filming," and teased that fans can expect to hear more about the exact release date in October this year.
WATCH: Sanditon confirms comeback following 2019 cancellation
Meanwhile, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger hinted that viewers could see it air as early as January 2022 as their shows tend to do "extraordinarily well" at that time of year.
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She explained: "There is this wonderful window right after the holidays when people are exhausted. The days are shorter. At least, the light is shorter. And these shows have just done extraordinarily well in that period, which is why we schedule them the way that we do."
Production for season two of Sanditon kicked off in July, following the incredible news that the show had been picked for not one but two new seasons by PBS after being cancelled by UK broadcaster ITV.
© PBSAre you looking forward to season two?
The elation among fans about the renewal was short-lived as not long after Theo James, who plays the brooding hero Sidney Parker, announced that he would be bowing out of the series. However, fans need not despair, as it has since been revealed that two new potential love interests for Rose William's Charlotte Heywood be introduced in the upcoming episodes.
© PBSRose is set to have two new suitors in the upcoming episodes
One of her new suitors will be played by actor Ben Lloyd-Hughes, who starred alongside Theo in the 2014 sci-fi film Divergent. He will portray Alexander Colbourne, who has been described as "a mysterious resident with a complex family history".
Also vying for the young heroine's affections is "self-assured war hero" Colonel Francis Lennox, who will be played by Tom Weston-Jones, who viewers will have recently seen in Netflix hit Shadow and Bone.
MORE: Meet all the new stars joining the cast of Sanditon season two
Other new faces joining the cast of season two include Outlander star Rosie Graham, Normal People's Frank Blake, Merlin actor Alexander Vlahos and newcomer Maxim Ays.
It's also been revealed that the second series will pick up the action nine months after the events of season one and focus on "new romances, friendships and challenges" for the residents of Sanditon.
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