The hotly-anticipated second season of the hit period drama, Sanditon, is well underway and has had fans compelled by the love triangle developing between our heroine Charlotte and two new suitors.
MORE: Sanditon season two: how Sidney Parker was written out of show
It looks like the mysterious widow Alexander Colbourne is the fan favourite over Charlotte's other admirer, Colonel Lennox. But while fans are keen to know more about the brooding Mr Rochester-esque figure, they may also be curious to learn about the actor who plays him, Ben Lloyd-Hughes.
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Who is Ben Lloyd-Hughes?
Ben Lloyd-Hughes plays Alexander Colbourne, a new character in the second season of Sanditon, who employs Charlotte as a governess for his young daughter, Leonora, and orphaned niece, Augusta.
While Alexander initially clashes with Charlotte, with the pair sharing differing views on the education of young women, there is an undeniable romantic tension between the two that we hope to see develop throughout the series.
MORE: Sanditon viewers left 'concerned' following episode two
MORE: Sanditon star Rose Williams addresses Theo James' sudden departure ahead of series two
Viewers may recognise Ben from his several major film and TV roles. The 33-year-old, who is from London, starred as Josh Stock in the comedy-drama series Skins and also played Tsar Alexander in the BBC adaptation of War and Peace.
Ben plays Charlotte's employer Alexander Colbourne
The actor is also known for his role as Greg in the business drama Industry as well as for playing Will in the 2014 film Divergent, alongside former Sanditon star Theo James.
Ben recently opened up about joining season two of the popular period piece, revealing that he initially auditioned for two roles in season one. "I auditioned for two different characters two different times for the first series," he told Decider. "And I was really excited about the idea of the show. It was just a fantastic premise and fantastic characters, and I didn’t get either of those parts, of course.
Theo James played season one love interest Sidney Parker before his exit
"Then when the second series came along, it came along quite quickly and in a really surreal and intense time in my life where I thought I was meant to be doing a different job and then that job for various reasons fell through."
He continued: "Sanditon really quickly came along and just was an amazing serendipitous moment that I was hugely excited about the role and the opportunity and I loved every minute of it."
Sanditon is available to stream on BritBox in the UK and PBS Masterpiece in the US.
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