Sanditon fans are delighted that the period drama, based on Jane Austen's final unfinished novel, has returned to screens for its highly-anticipated second season, over two years after the release of season one.
MORE: Sanditon fan left fuming for same reason as period drama makes long-awaited return to ITV
However, for those who are desperate for more episodes after binging all of the episodes on ITV Hub or BritBox, we've got some disappointing news about the show's future.
WATCH: See the trailer for Sanditon season two
As fans will know, Sanditon seasons two and three were commissioned together back in 2021, and both series were filmed back-to-back across the summer before wrapping in the Autumn.
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But now, speaking in a new interview, showrunner Justin Young has revealed that season three will not be landing on screens anytime soon despite being "in the can" and ready to air.
© Photo: ITVAre you a fan of the period drama?
Asked when the upcoming episodes will be released, he remained tight-lipped and did not give an exact date. "Well, all I can tell you is it will be next year, and it's a funny thing because I think it's very frustrating for the fans," he said.
"I get this all the time. They know it's out there. They know we have it on our hard drives, and they know that the final episode of season three is finished," he continued.
© Photo: ITVWhile season three is "in the can", it will not be airing anytime soon
"It's in the can, and so I'm afraid we're going to hang on to it for a while, and I know they think they want to see it now, but it really is worth the wait, I hope."
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He went on to say that despite thinking he and his team "were very, very cunning", the show's legions of fans - known online as the #SanditonSisterhood - have often outsmarted them.
"We don't want to drip feed too much in advance because our fans are so canny as well and what we found with season two was, you know, we'd release a five-second trailer, and they would zoom in," he explained, adding that they are now going to be "quite careful about how much we release in advance this time around".
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