I say, Carson... your daughter’s starring in ‘the new Downton’
WHILE Bridgerton has inevitably attracted comparisons to Downton Abbey, the links go beyond the period setting.
For one of its stars is the daughter of two stalwarts of Lord Fellowes’ much-loved ITV series. Bessie Carter’s father Jim played butler Carson for five years, while her mother Imelda Staunton was Maud Bagshaw, the Queen’s lady-in-waiting and cousin of the Crawleys, in the show.
In the Netflix drama, Bessie plays Prudence Featherington, whose mother is trying to marry her off to a suitable husband.
It is a breakthrough role for the relatively unknown 27year-old, who made her TV debut in another period drama – the BBC series Cranford – alongside her parents.
In fact, historical fiction seems to be her forte, with other credits including the roles of Evie Wilcox in the 2017 adaptation of Howards End and Violet Woodhouse in last year’s TV series Beecham House.
In an interview last year, Bessie spoke affectionately about her parents, saying: ‘We are such a unit. Mum calls me Bebo, Dad calls me Trousers. No idea why. Their love is palpable.
‘I adored being an only child. I think I asked about a sibling once or twice without knowing what that entailed, but it was never on the cards. They were the two people who were everything to me and I couldn’t imagine sharing my world with anyone else.’
An industry source said Bridgerton is likely to propel its stars into the big time, saying: ‘Most of the actors except Julie Andrews are unknown. This will turn them into global stars just as Downton Abbey did for its cast members.’