THE NEW BELLES OF RIDGERTON
Two sisters, a love triangle, a mysterious new character, Lady Whistledown’s secrets revealed... as the smash hit Regency romp returns, its stars tell what’s in store...
H‘The show is psychedelia on steroids, it’s fabulous’
old on to your bonnets and grab the smelling salts... TV’s raciest period drama Bridgerton is back for a second series. When the first season launched at Christmas 2020 in the darkest depths of lockdown it seemed like the whole world had tuned in, making it Netflix’s then-biggest hit with a staggering 82 million households streaming the series in its first four weeks. Why? Because Bridgerton broke the period drama mould, ramping up the excess with exuberantly colourful outfits, stupendously furnished homes, a zingy soundtrack and lots (and lots!) of sex. No wonder it was dubbed Bonkerton!
Based on the book series by Julia Quinn about aristocratic Regency family the Bridgertons — widowed mother Lady Violet and her eight offspring — the first series focused on the ‘coming out’ season for eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), a striking beauty attempting to find a rich suitor on the ‘marriage mart’ and the tumultuous relationship with the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), that ensued. Now they’re off living the happily ever after, the spotlight moves onto her elder brother Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey.
‘It was a bit bonkers,’ says Ruth Gemmell, who portrays Lady Violet. ‘I think we always thought it would appeal to an audience who are fans of the books. That’s a huge fan base, but I don’t think anybody was quite prepared for the phenomenon that it became.’
Ruth returns in series two along with the show’s other matriarch Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, queen of the withering putdown, society fixer and Simon Basset’s mentor. ‘It’s psychedelia on steroids,’ she says. ‘And that’s part of its fabulousness. It’s Ariana Grande in a quartet [Grande was one of several pop stars to have their work performed in a classical style on the soundtrack]. It’s people wearing psychedelic mandarin and lime green, but cut correctly for the period. It’s about putting some Bridgerton schwang on to the Regency period — that’s the fun of it.’
The Bridgertons are part of ‘The Ton’, the aristocratic circle at the top of London society whose comings and goings are chronicled by the mysterious gossip Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) in her society scandal sheet. Also part of The Ton are the Bridgertons’ ostentatious neighbours the Featheringtons, whose daughters Prudence, Philippa and Penelope (Bessie Carter, Harriet Cains and Nicola Coughlan) aren’t having much luck with suitors.
But in a whopping reveal at the end of series one, the acid-tongued Lady Whistledown turned out to be little old Penelope Featherington, a girl who’d been endlessly underestimated because of her looks. If it was a huge shock for the viewers, it surprised Derry Girls star Nicola too.
‘I found out Penelope was Lady Whistledown in an unexpected way,’ she recalls. ‘I was on an online fan forum, trying to absorb as much information about Penelope as quickly as possible once I’d got the role, and when I saw that, I was in such shock I couldn’t believe it.’
So secret was the big reveal that Nicola, 35, recorded the scene where Lady Whistledown was unveiled months after the first season filming had wrapped. ‘They couldn’t decide whether or not to reveal it — then I got a call from Chris Van Dusen, our showrunner, saying, “We feel it makes sense to reveal i t because of where we want to take Penelope in season two.”’
By revealing the identity of Lady Whistledown at the climax of the first series, one big ace has already been played. But creator Van Dusen says he still has some cards up his sleeve. ‘This season, Penelope’s story is fascinating,’ he says. ‘We get to see the entire operation — how Lady Whistledown produces her anonymous pamphlet and who she uses.
‘What’s fascinating to me about Penelope’s story is that she’s basically invisible in her everyday life. No one sees her. But when she gets to don her Lady Whistledown superhero cape, she’s not invisible. She’s loud and she’s brash and she’s amazing.’
While some old characters get new stories, an entire new family enters in the form of the Sharmas, Lady Mary (Shelley Conn) and her daughters Kate and Edwina (Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran). ‘We’re bringing in a family that’s been living abroad for a while,’ says executive producer Shonda Rhimes. ‘They’ve been in India, now they’ve come back to London for Edwina’s season.’
Lady Mary is no stranger to the London debutante scene, and her own marriage once mired her and her family in scandal. Now, on her return to London, she’s forced to endure the scrutiny of The Ton again. While eldest daughter Kate, 26, is technically available on the marriage mart, she thinks she’s too old to find herself a husband. Instead, she puts her energy into finding her younger sister Edwina, 18, a love match. She’s challenged not only by her new life in London, but also by the infuriating yet enticing Anthony Bridgerton, who has his sights set on her sister.
Edwina, meanwhile, may be young, but she knows she wants a
true love match. She’s quickly inundated with suitors and grateful to her loyal sister for vetting potential matches. But when Edwina falls for Anthony Bridgerton against Kate’s wishes, their sisterly bond is put to the test.
When the Sharmas arrive in London, they move in with Lady Danbury, bringing — much to Lady Danbury’s distress — their dog Newton. Played by a corgi named Austin, he’s Bridgerton’s cuddliest new star. ‘He was very professional,’ says Adjoa Andoh. ‘Much more so than some of his human colleagues. Lady Danbury doesn’t like having a dog in her house, so most of my acting with Austin involved raising a disapproving eyebrow. Then I’d give him a cuddle after the take.’
Other newcomers include Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), a printer’s assistant and revolutionary, and a fellow called Jack (Rupert Young), who arrives swathed in mystery. The newest member of The Ton, he has a connection to one of its most notable families, but which one? We also get to meet Violet’s late husband and the Bridgerton father, though only in flashback. Edmund (Rupert Evans) was a devoted husband and an endlessly patient father.
The second season promises even more of the lavish locations, balls and parties that adorned the first, with filming taking place at Wrotham Park in Potters Bar, the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club and Syon Park Conservatory for Lady Danbury’s ball in episode one. And boy are those balls lavish. Penelope Featherington’s dress for the Diamond Ball was inspired by a John Galliano dress that Kylie Minogue wore on tour, and for Philippa Featherington’s dress at the same event the costume team used more than 14,000 crystals in four shades of gold.
Yet while the balls may look glam, Adjoa Andoh says they’re anything but to film. ‘You sit in make-up from 4.30am for three hours, put on a corset and then have mountains of hair glued to your head. Then you’re in that corset for 14 hours, schlepping about in super-restrictive garments that do the opposite of what your body wants to do. You can’t breathe out and you can’t bend
So if you want to go for a wee, you need to give yourself a good lead-up time.’
Ruth Gemmell says that eight-hour days eating the same canapes again and again requires you to pace yourself. ‘You have to be careful how much you eat in the first take, because you’re going to have to keep eating the same amount. I made that mistake with mushrooms once. I felt dreadful by the end — I’d eaten about five meals’ worth.’
More balls of course means more cotillions and quadrilles — in season one, Phoebe Dynevor had to learn four dances in one day for a single scene — and this time even Lady Danbury gets to shake a leg. ‘You may well have a brief glimpse of Lady Danbury strutting her stuff,’ says Adjoa. ‘I’m not saying there’s going to be any backflips — it’s hardly Flashdance — but there will be some action. The thing is, like many things in this show, it’s accurate — that was something people in that era did. Everybody danced — all ages and types would join in.’
Perhaps most importantly, though, Bridgerton has taken the period context and put women front and centre of it. Lord Bridgerton has passed away and Lord Featherington was a gambler who met a sticky end. So it was left to Lady Bridgerton, Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) and widowed Lady Danbury to try to shepherd their children and charges through the labyrinth of parties and courtships that led from the gilded ballrooms of Mayfair to the aristocratic palaces of Park Lane and beyond. It showed that women were more than just product to be bought and sold, but could be independent and self-defining in their own right.
Yet Adjoa says the huge success of the show hasn’t changed her. ‘Obviously, I now live in a fairy castle and get driven around by white ponies,’ she jokes. ‘No, as we speak I’ve got my doggies in the back of the car. We’re about to slip around the park in the rain. And I’ll be picking up poop very shortly. So things haven’t changed that much.’
But appearing on billboards around the world dressed in fancy frocks does have its benefits. ‘It’s a privilege to do that thing you wanted to do when you were little and have it as gainful employment,’ she says. ‘So I suppose things have changed for me in some ways. I’m a Fairtrade patron now. It’s Fairtrade Fortnight at the moment; probably I can make slightly more noise about it now.’
Bridgerton has changed the game in other ways too. It shows history in a different light, that there was diversity in London then as now. ‘Our show has taken the notion of that and woven it into the dynamics of the cast, which for me is lovely,’ says Adjoa. ‘As an actor of colour, you just go, “Hooray!” Finally a costume drama where I don’t have to shrug my shoulders and think, “I’ll wait for the next job.” Instead I can say, “Yes! Put me in that corset — I thank you.”’
–Benji Wilson Bridgerton returns on 25 March on Netflix.