In some respects, Sandra is perhaps the least developed of Cornley's female characters, but I'm fond of her. Her flirtiness and self-absorption are fun qualities!
Sandra actually has some similarities to Robert; they both have a high opinion of their own talent and like to be the centre of attention. Chris can thank his lucky stars they're not competing for the same roles. If Robert and Sandra were both women, or both men, they'd be having non-stop arguments over who should get the most important parts.
I recently attempted to make a list of Sandra's character traits, and here's what came to mind!
- self-absorbed, high opinion of her own talent and attractiveness
- dreams of stardom
- horny
- flirts with everyone, even when in a relationship with Jonathan
- however, she's the one to decide she wants a committed, adult relationship with Max
- strained relationship with Annie in Haversham Manor era, but by Dennis's party in Christmas Carol they're close enough for Sandra to confide in Annie about her plan to propose; we also see Sandra talking and laughing with Annie and Robert at the same party
- according to her bio in the Christmas Carol programme, performs with the drama society 'to avoid spending time with her family'
- shows concern for others when things go wrong: gives Max a subtle little 'are you okay?' thumbs up to check on him when his chair falls over in The Pilot, hurries to help Robert up when he falls in The Spirit of Christmas
- Sandra and Robert seem to have a certain degree of mutual respect when it comes to acting; Robert ranks Sandra second in the society after him, and Sandra seems to take Robert's acting advice from his masterclass on board
- gives Dennis a cute little shoulder pat during Vanessa's improv session, so I'm going to say she's fond of Dennis!
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