March 7th, 2021 | Updated on December 7th, 2021
Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton has been described as a Regency-era Gossip Girl. These 25 behind-the-scenes facts about the making of ‘Bridgerton’ will blow your mind.
1. The Bridgertons’ residence was inspired by Althorp, Princess Diana’s former home.
2. Anthony’s desire to duel Lord Nigel Berbrooke foreshadows his actions with Simon.
3. Daphne has a cut from her corset.
4. It’s based on the best-selling romance novels
5. It’s produced by one of the biggest names in TV
6. There are parallels to today’s dating culture
7. The series is pure eye candy
8. The critical reception has been largely positive
9. Queen Charlotte, played by Golda Rosheuvel , is widely regarded to be the first mixed-race member of the British Royal family. She was married to King George III, who was depicted in the biopic The Madness of King George. Together, Queen Charlotte and King George had 15 children.
10. The ‘Bridgerstans’ are not to be messed with
11. Marc Pilcher, the head of hair and makeup for the series, says that when it came to designing the look for Queen Charlotte, the early discussions he had with creator/showrunner Chris Van Dusen revolved around her having a different wig on every time she is on screen, and that the wigs would always match her outfits. “She’s got nothing else to do. She’s waiting for her husband to die and she’s quite bored. It took us a lot of time, but it was great and a really creative thing to do.”
12. The production design team led by Will Hughes-Jones didn’t use furniture from prop houses. They built everything themselves, right down the curtains.
13. The cast were all in when it came to putting themselves in the shoes of their characters. Depending on their role, an actor may have taken classes in any of the following: etiquette, horse riding, dancing, voice lessons, pistol training, and boxing.
14. The Bridgerton and Featherington families both have their own symbols that are used throughout the series and eagle-eyed viewers will be able to spot these throughout the season. “The Bridgertons have a bee which appears on certain parts of their costumes, and for the Featheringtons, it’s butterflies,” explains head of hair and makeup, Marc Pilcher. “We have a few little hair decorations that reflect this as well and we pop them in now and again.”
15. Madame Delacroix’s French accent comes and goes depending on who she’s around.
16. Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton) lives on a canal boat and was in the midst of boat renovations when she heard about securing the role in Bridgerton. “I was painting the roof of my boat, and I remember at that time thinking, ‘You’ll get a job and everything will be fine’,” she recalls. “Then my agent called me and told me I got this role. I just went back to painting the roof but I thought, ‘This is a great day’. It’s such a pleasure to be a part of this show.”
17. The portraits hanging in Buckingham Palace look like the actors that play King George III and Queen Charlotte.
18. The Queen calls Brimsley a “terrible gossip” long before he spoils her plot to uncover Lady Whistledown.
19. Daphne is frequently surrounded by white roses.
20. Claudia Jessie and Nicola Coughlan, who play best friends Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, knew each other a little before working on Bridgerton. “One of my favourite things about this story is Penelope and Eloise’s friendship,” Coughlan says.
21. Irish actor Nicole Coughlan got lucky when it came to learning a tricky dance at one of the balls. “The dances were planned out before anyone was cast and I was thinking it was going to be a waltz or something like that, but it just so happened that the dance they had for Penelope was an Irish jig! It was a total coincidence. It’s called The Siege of Ennis and it’s a very famous dance that I’ve known since I was five years old.”
22. Each high society family has their own colors.
23. Gunter’s Tea Shop was a real place in Regency England.
24. When Violet invites Lady Berbrooke for tea, there’s a chess board in the background.
