Bridgerton offered a new spin on the classic period drama and if you find yourself craving more corsets and petticoats, here are our top period dramas to watch.
Bridgerton
Netflix
In regency England appearances are everything and for the powerful Bridgerton family they face the constant battle between their duty and desires.
Inspired by the Julia Quinn novels, wealth, lust, betrayal and honour are navigated by those seeking to stay ahead in an English society filled with secrets and gossip.
Narrated by Julie Andrews, who plays the mysterious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, the series focuses on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) as she seeks to find the perfect husband, but finds herself drawn to the brooding Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page).
Downton Abbey
Amazon Prime
Set in the early 20th century, Downton Abbey follows the aristocratic Crawley family, who lead a charmed life in their sprawling Yorkshire country estate, along with their domestic servants.
Created by Julian Fellowes, the series includes the events of the First World War, the Spanish Influenza pandemic, the Irish War of Independence and the dismantling of the British social hierarchy.
Delving deep into the character’s lives, the viewers quickly developed a bond with the characters, leading to a successful spin-off film, which even saw Downton receive a royal visit from the King and Queen.
Pride and Prejudice
Netflix
Over the years there have been multiple adaptations of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice, and the 1995 version starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr Darcy is particularly loved.
The arrival of a wealthy gentleman to Hertfordshire sends the marriage obsessed ladies of the district into a flurry of excitement.
The ultimate and timeless love story sees the independent and strong-willed Bennet find her match in the haughty and inscrutable Mr Darcy, each learning lessons about themselves and love along the way.
The Crown
Netflix
Created by Peter Morgan, historical drama The Crown follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II, starting from the beginning of her reign and continuing into the 21st century.
The first two series see Claire Foy play the young Queen, with Matt Smith portraying Prince Phillip, before the baton was passed on to Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies.
The drama tackles Princess Margaret’s divorce, the Suez Crisis, Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister and Lady Diana Spencer’s marriage to Prince Charles.
Call The Midwife
BBC iPlayer
Based on the bestselling memoirs by Jennifer Worth, Call The Midwife follows the midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House as they help the community of the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s.
The sisters and midwives bond with the community of Poplar, while facing challenges such as birth defects, miscarriages, teen pregnancies and poverty.
The Great
Channel 4
Described as “an occasionally true story”, The Great reveals how Catherine the Great went from the teenage wife of Emperor Peter III, to the longest reigning female ruler in Russian history.
Elle Fanning plays Catherine the Great, who is introduced as an idealistic, naive, young girl, but is faced with the harsh realities of life when she marries the spoilt and volatile Emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult). She decides she must change the world, and the first step is to kill her husband.
Determined to build a life for herself, Catherine finds herself engaged in a constant power struggle with the Emperor as she tries to navigate the perils of Russian court.
Outlander
Amazon Prime
Historical drama set in the 1940s and 1740s, Outlander follows married former World War II nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), as she is transported back to Scotland in 1743.
Stuck in 1743, Randall finds herself caught up in the Jacobite risings and caught up in her feelings for highlander Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
Based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, time travel is combined with love, combat and the fight for justice.
Little Birds
Sky Atlantic
Set in Tangier in 1955, Little Birds is inspired by the stories of Anais Nin and is set in a world of love, desire, hedonism and politics.
Juno Temple plays Lucy Savage a young troubled American debutante who is thrown into a world of decadence and free from societal rules when she leaves New York behind for a new life with her husband Hugo (Hugh Skinner).
As Savage explores a country on the cusp of independence, she meets a series of provocative characters who expose her to a whole new life of freedom.
The Luminaries
BBC iPlayer
The Luminaries takes viewers to 1860s New Zealand during the gold rush and follows British adventurer Anna Wetherell (Eve Hewson) as she searches for a new life on the other side of the world.
She meets and falls for fortune hunter Emery Staines during an encounter on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, and the star-crossed lovers become entangled in a world of murder, revenge and tragedy.
However, the cunning and dangerous Lydia Wells (Eva Green) and rich boy Francis Carver (Marton Csokas) are out to cause trouble for the couple.
