Your period drama favourites from Bridgerton to Downton Abbey revealed – and one sexy classic comes out on top
WITH pulses racing and bosoms heaving, fans are eagerly awaiting the new series of steamy period drama Bridgerton.
And to celebrate the return of the Netflix smash hit — out on March 25 — we polled 1,000 people about their favourite historical dramas and sexiest stars.
Series two will see playboy Anthony Bridgerton transformed into the new Mr Darcy — emerging from a lake in a see-through, wet, white shirt, reminiscent of Colin Firth in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride And Prejudice.
Makers were on the money to recreate the iconic scene, as it was voted the sexiest TV moment in our exclusive survey. Emma Pietras brings you the rest of the results.
And Daisy Goodwin, writer of hit TV period drama Victoria, explains why we can’t get enough of getting hot under the historical collar — and recommends some oldies but goodies.
Most romantic film
1. Pride And Prejudice (22%): Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen star as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy in this 2005 film version of Jane Austen’s classic novel — and the pair have a sizzling on-screen chemistry.
2. Wuthering Heights (21%): This 2011 adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Gothic novel stars James Howson as Heathcliff, who is rescued from poverty and forges an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy, played by Kaya Scodelario.
3. A Room With A View (20%): In this 1985 British drama, based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) is touring Italy with her older cousin (Maggie Smith) when she falls for the charming George Emerson (Julian Sands).
4. Sense And Sensibility (16%): Adapted from the Jane Austen classic, this 1995 film, directed by Ang Lee, stars Dame Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as the Dashwood sisters, who have to find a new home — and marriage — after the death of their father.
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5. Shakespeare In Love and Little Women (both 15%): 1998’s Shakespeare In Love, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes, tells of the fictional relationship between a young William Shakespeare and woman who pretends to be a man in order to land a role in one of his plays. The 1994 film of Little Women, set during the American Civil War, features an all-star cast, including Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon.
Sexiest scene
1. Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy emerging from a lake in Pride And Prejudice (22%): Screenwriter Andrew Davies says he originally intended the iconic scene to feature full-frontal nudity — but the white shirt may have been introduced because Colin was trying to hide his love handles.
2. Aidan Turner’s topless scything in Poldark (16%): The nation swooned when actor Aidan did a spot of shirtless scything — with producers later admitting they almost cut the sexy scene because they feared he was too muscly for the period.
3. Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings having sex up against a ladder, Bridgerton (15%): Newlyweds Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) spend their honeymoon making love all over his country estate, including up against a ladder in the library.
4. Aunt Polly’s toy boy lover performs a sex act on her in Peaky Blinders (13%): Shelby family matriarch Polly (Helen McCrory) wears lingerie while her toy boy lover performs a sex act on her in a Monte Carlo hotel.
5. Anne Lister’s flashback to lesbian romp in Gentleman Jack (12%): Viewers of the 2019 BBC mini-series were left hot under the collar when an unexpected and sudden flashback showed Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) performing a sex act on another woman while in Paris.
Best weepy moment
1. Beth March dying in Little Women (15%): Third March daughter Beth, played by Claire Danes in the 1994 film, catches scarlet fever when taking provisions to a poor family living nearby. She recovers, only to die years later from the lasting effects.
2. Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet finally kissing in Pride And Prejudice (14%): The nation was on tenterhooks waiting to see if the mismatched pair would finally get together in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation.
3. Fantine’s death in Les Miserables (14%): Fantine, played by Anne Hathaway in the 2012 film, is forced to sell her hair and teeth to pay for the upkeep of her daughter Cosette, who she gives away in a bid to find work before dying of tuberculosis.
4. Pierre and Natasha admitting their love in War And Peace (10%): Natasha (Lily James) is reunited with Pierre (Paul Dano) whose wife Helene has died, in the 2016 BBC adaptation. The pair declare their love and go on to marry.
5. Robbie’s death in Atonement (9%): Ill-fated lovers Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy) never reunite after he dies of septicaemia at Dunkirk and she is killed in the Blitz in the 2007 film.
Best on TV
1. Downton Abbey (21%): Written by Julian Fellowes, this sweeping family saga at a Yorkshire country estate featured an all-star ensemble cast, including Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery.
2. Peaky Blinders (20%): The final series of this epic historical crime drama — inspired by real-life Birmingham gangs of the 1920s — is currently airing on BBC1. Cillian Murphy stars as brooding crime boss Tommy Shelby alongside Anya Taylor-Joy as scheming Gina Gray and Tom Hardy as gang leader Alfie Solomons.
3. Call The Midwife (19%): The long-running BBC series, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth — who worked as a midwife and nurse in the East End in the 1950s — has won plaudits for tackling challenging subject matter with sensitivity.
4. All Creatures Great And Small (14%): The 1978 series was a huge hit, and Channel 5’s remake, which launched two years ago, is proving equally popular — a third series is due later this year. Set in 1937, it is based on a series of memoirs about Scottish vet James Herriot.
5. The Crown (14%): Fans have been gripped by the Netflix dramatisation of the Royal Family’s life through the decades. Imelda Staunton is next up to portray the Queen, following younger versions by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.
6. The Darling Buds Of May (13%): Set in 1950s rural Kent, the Nineties ITV comedy drama followed the adventures of the Larkin family — including lovable rogue Pop Larkin (David Jason), wife Ma Larkin (Pam Ferris) and their six children, including eldest Mariette (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
7. Poldark (12%): Brooding British Army officer Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) returns home to Cornwall from the American War of Independence to find his father dead and his childhood sweetheart engaged to his cousin.
8. The Durrells (12%): Widowed Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) and her four children move from England to the Greek island of Corfu in 1935 in this ITV comedy drama inspired by the best-selling memoirs of the British naturalist Gerald Durrell.
9. Bridgerton (11%): Released on Netflix on Christmas Day 2020, this Regency romp based on Julia Quinn’s novels was an instant smash hit. Fans watched as Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) faked their courtship but fell in love and married.
10. Pride And Prejudice (11%): More than ten million viewers tuned in to watch Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle) and Mr Darcy (Colin Firth) as they battled to overcome their many differences in this 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. The most loved of the BBC’s various adaptations.
Best leading lady
1. Helen McCrory (17%): The late actress played Polly Gray, the indomitable Shelby family matriarch, in gangster drama Peaky Blinders. She was written out of the show with a heartfelt tribute after the 52-year-old actress’s death from cancer last April.
2. Catherine Zeta-Jones (14%): She was catapulted to stardom as a teenager when she took her first TV role as the beautiful Mariette Larkin in The Darling Buds Of May. Now 52, she has since had an award-winning career in Hollywood.
3. Keeley Hawes (12%): The 46-year-old had a raft of TV and film roles under her belt when she joined the cast of The Durrells to play widowed mum-of-four Louisa. It could have been a tough gig working with children and animals, but she said: “I just absolutely adore them.”
4. Jenna Coleman (12%): After stints in Emmerdale and Doctor Who, Jenna, 35, took the lead role of Queen Victoria in ITV’s big budget period drama Victoria. Written by Daisy Goodwin, it won rave reviews.
5. Jennifer Ehle (11%): Now 52, the US actress landed the career-defining role of Jane Austen’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC mini-series Pride And Prejudice — and went on to win a Bafta for Best Actress.
Best leading man
1. Colin Firth (23%): Darcy mania gripped the nation as millions tuned in each week for the BBC’s costume drama Pride And Prejudice in the Nineties. The 61-year-old actor later admitted that playing wealthy snob Mr Darcy left him typecast — but it didn’t seem to do his career harm.
2. Cillian Murphy (22%): The 45-year-old Irish actor took on a Brummie accent for his role as Tommy Shelby in gangster show Peaky Blinders. His alter-ego’s undercut hairstyle spawned a new fashion trend among fans.
3. Aidan Turner (15%): As hunky Ross Poldark, the 38-year-old Irish actor became a household name in 2015. And he turned his hand to historical drama again last year in TV series Leonardo, playing artist Leonardo da Vinci.
4. Regé-Jean Page (11%): The 34-year-old played the hunky Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton, but left fans devastated when he revealed he would not be returning for the second series. He is now being tipped as the next James Bond.
5. Matt Smith (11%): The former Doctor Who star travelled through time to play a young Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crown. Matt, 39, was nominated for an Emmy for the role.
Why we love period dramas, by Daisy Godwin, writer of ITV hit Victoria
I THINK the world is divided into two types of people.
Those who like their dramas to start with a dead body or, better still, just a part of one — like a head or a foot found in a wheelie bin.
And those who prefer them to start with a liveried footman handing a letter complete with sealing wax to a young woman whose ample bosom is only just contained by her empire line frock.
I am definitely in the latter category.
As Central Europe is consumed by war, I am more than ready to retreat to the early 19th century in the new season of Bridgerton, where the most potent weapons in the first series were the smouldering looks of the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, 34.
Period dramas are not fashionable in media circles, but they are undoubtedly popular with viewers.
In the last few years we have had Downton Abbey, Poldark — judging by the results of this poll, you clearly all remember that scything scene — my own show Victoria and now Emmy award-winning Bridgerton.
Going by the comments viewers have made to me about Victoria, what people really value in a certain type of period drama are the exquisite clothes — both women’s and men’s.
I know a devoted Victoria fan who makes replicas of the costumes that Victoria and Albert wear in the show for her and her boyfriend to wear.
Another draw are the stunning locations, which is hardly surprising in a country where the National Trust has more members than any other organisation, except the AA.
And, of course, the romance.
Going by the comments viewers have made to me about Victoria, what people really value in a certain type of period drama are the exquisite clothes — both women’s and men’s. I know a devoted Victoria fan who makes replicas of the costumes that Victoria and Albert wear in the show for her and her boyfriend to wear.
Daisy Godwin, writer of ITV hit Victoria
There are plenty of women who would rather flutter their fan at a potential suitor at a ball than swipe right on Tinder.
New US reality show The Courtship sees one modern day woman dress in Regency costume and live in a stately home as a succession of suitors compete to win her affections.
I bet they had no problem finding contestants.
Even if the reality was very different — the corsets, no contraceptives, a fair chance of dying in childbirth — I think many women, and perhaps the odd man, quite fancy a bit of time travel to a period of crinolines and tight breeches.
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WHAT about the period dramas that did not make our poll results? Daisy casts her mind back to recommend some favourites that you might have missed . . .
MIDDLEMARCH (1994): BBC adaptation of the George Eliot novel set in the 1830s. Stars Juliet Aubrey as widow Dorothea, who falls for the dashing Ladislaw, played by Rufus Sewell.
LOST IN AUSTEN (2008): Jemima Rooper stars as bored bank worker and Jane Austen fan Amanda in this ITV series. She lives in present day London until she finds she has swapped places with Pride And Prejudice heroine Elizabeth Bennet.
THE BARCHESTER CHRONICLES (1982): BBC adaptation of the Anthony Trollope series of novels. Starring Alan Rickman, it centres on the cosy 19th century community of Barchester, which is hit by scandal when the local church becomes the object of a scathing investigative report.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (2008): Sisters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret are forced to move from their grand Sussex home into a modest cottage in Devonshire after their father dies. Following the unmarried women in their quest to find suitable suitors, this BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen novel provides a new take compared to the 1995 Ang Lee version.
NORTH SOUTH (2004): Issues of class and gender are explored in this BBC historical drama, adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell’s love story. It sees middle class southerner Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) adjust to a new life in the northern town of Milton where she meets mill owner John Thornton (Richard Armitage).