Program Description:

PBS Books, in partnership with MASTERPIECE, sits down with Justin Young, who is the Head Writer and Executive Producer for Season 2 and 3 of Sanditon. The conversation is co-hosted by Colleen O’Donnell, who is Detroit Public Television’s Social Media Manager. Justin discusses his work and process in writing and producing Sanditon’s Season 2.

About the Show:

Nineteenth century English writer Jane Austen was a trailblazer and a social changer. In early 1817, she fell ill with a mysterious disease when she started work on a novel set in a seaside town called Sanditon. She never finished it. MASTERPIECE introduced its Sanditon mini-series in 2020, picking up Austen’s setting, characters, and plot.

While taking us on an amazing adventure in the 19th century with Miss Heywood, the series also explores issues of race, sexual abuse, gender roles, money, and power. Catch up on past seasons of Sanditon by becoming a member of your local station and receive benefit of PBS Passport for extended access to Masterpiece series like Sanditon.

Guest Biography:

Justin Young is Head Writer and Executive Producer on Sanditon, Seasons 2 and 3. His previous credits include Sanditon, Season 1, Dickensian, Death In Paradise, and Ripper Street. Justin was Head Writer and Series Producer of Holby City for 3 years, during which the show was BAFTA-nominated twice. Other TV writing includes Casualty and Eastenders.

In 2015, his play In My Father’s Words enjoyed a critically acclaimed run at the 59E59 Theatre in New York. His plays include The Houghamagandie Pack, Fierce – An Urban Myth – both for Grid Iron, Metagama (Soho Theatre), August (National Theatre Studio) and Moonwalking in Chinatown (Soho Theatre.)