The city of Bath is to play a starring role in a brand new period drama on Netflix, which is set to premiere on Christmas Day.
A scene from the forthcoming series, shot in Beauford Square | Photo © Netflix
Bridgerton has been labelled as a “witty, romantic and emotional” modern take on England’s Regency era.
Set in London, but filmed in and around Bath between August and November 2019, the drama is based on the books by Julia Quin.
Filming for Bridgerton was the most extensive and ambitious ever carried out in the city.
No 1 Royal Crescent features as the exterior of the home of the Featheringtons, one of the key families in the drama, but multiple other interior and exterior locations were used across the city centre, from Abbey Green and Bath Street, to the Holburne Museum and the Banqueting Room at the Guildhall.
Filming was co-ordinated by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Film Office.
Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services, said: “It was incredibly exciting to have such a lavish production choose Bath as the location for multiple scenes.
“Our Highways, Parking and Heritage Services teams were heavily involved and because Bridgerton is a period drama a lot of work had to be carried out ahead of filming to eradicate all trace of 21st century life, including removing benches, lights and bins.
“Bath is a magnet for film makers, and we do encourage productions to the area. Not only does it promote our fantastic city and the surrounding areas to a wider audience, but it has a big impact on the local economy with production companies spending around £2m a year on accommodation, food, local crew and purchases from other local businesses.”
Following the filming, Visit Bath and Visit Britain both received interest from international media wanting to feature the locations used in the series.
Kathryn Davis, Interim CEO of Visit Bath, said: “Screen tourism can have a big impact on a destination, from both domestic and international audiences, and we have been working closely with media in the UK and partners overseas to link the series back to its Bath locations.
“The simultaneous release here and in key overseas markets gives us an incredible opportunity to raise our profile, creating linked itineraries and boosting the visitor economy that has been devastated during 2020.”
