Bridgerton

You’ve seen the show, now book the trip. Coming soon to screens worldwide is an advertising campaign for UK tourism, featuring some of the best-known TV and film locations on our sceptred isles.

“Starring GREAT Britain” will be launched in January by VisitBritain, whose job is to attract international visitors. It is spending several million pounds to cash in on a boom in “set-jetting” – marketing-speak for location tourism. It will focus on TV shows sold globally, featuring places recognised by international audiences.

Earlier this year, Netflix announced that Thompson’s character Benedict Bridgerton would be taking centre stage for series four. Each series of Bridgerton follows the life and love affairs of one Bridgerton sibling, with the last series focusing on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton, The Lodge) and his relationship with longtime friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Couglan, Derry Girls).

The six-part drama follows Gabriel Book, who solves crimes from his antiquarian bookshop. Three cases will span two episodes each, as Book will need all his wits – and the volumes lining his shelves – to deliver justice.

In 1946, Book keeps his sexuality hidden with a ‘lavender marriage’ to Trottie (Polly Walker, Bridgerton), who runs the wallpaper shop next door.

The vastly influential showrunner Shonda Rhimes may be American, but she knows a lot about the British way of life. You need only watch her TV blockbuster Bridgerton to prove that point.

As for Britain’s creative edge – the theme of this year’s RTS London Convention – Rhimes puts it down to a mysterious “secret sauce”. 

For someone responsible for ensuring that the UK production pipeline for the world’s biggest streamer runs smoothly, Anna Mallett sounds very composed. But then this highly experienced executive spent 13 years at the BBC – where she ended up as Managing Director, Production, at BBC Studios – and knows the UK production business inside out. 

The suicide of successful businessman Jack Wright sends his already-fractured family into a tailspin. As if grieving wasn’t difficult enough, his third wife Sally and two sons are left reeling by the discovery that they have been largely left out of the will.

The police investigate Wright’s death, and begin to suspect foul play. When difficult questions emerge about members of the Wright family, decades’ worth of feuds and resentments bubble up to the surface.

With the Netflix series no longer following the order of Julia Quinn’s series of novels, it was up in the air as to which sibling would take centre stage for the fourth series of the regency era drama. But Netflix and Shondaland have now revealed that Luke Thompson’s (Dunkirk) character, Benedict Bridgerton, will be leading the upcoming series, putting us back in book order.

Bookish follows the proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop as he assists the police in solving crimes.

Though not a detective by trade, Gabriel has all the knowledge he needs in the books lining his shelves. Set in postwar London, the consultant sleuth has to conceal his sexuality with a ‘lavender marriage’ to Trottie, played by Polly Walker (Bridgerton).

Read on to sort your Cowpers from your Mondrichs, your Phillipa from your Prudence…

(Spoilers ahead).

Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset

Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page