Bridgerton on Netflix

The Duke is certainly very easy on the eye-dark and brooding!

Makes Sanderton seem nuanced. It is like being smothered in a Barbara Cartland novelette. It is a feast for the eye but not mainly for aesthetic reasons. The fabrics are completely unlikely for the period. The women are all (as usual) woefully coldly underdressed and the men snug. The roads are clean no horse poo or poor folk. In other words pure TV marshmallow, bit like eating Christmas chocolate you know eating yet more cannot be good for you but you do, anyway. Ghastly and compulsive.

I wrote my initial post after watching the first episode, but would just like to say that I've changed my mind. It was a bit of frothy escapism, or "TV marshmallow" as Marjgran says.

I don't know why the Americans go for such stuff. Have they not heard of Georgette Heyer who pretty much cornered the market in Georgian romances and did it well?
I was amused to hear that they were Stephen Fry's secret weakness.

A ghastly pastiche of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I lasted until the gratuitous nude sex scene on the sofa. Just awful.

I’ve binge watched the whole lot over two days. Loved it although it is Jane Austen without the wit and with lots of sex!
No complaints there but would have liked a sharper dialogue.
It did pique my curiosity about Queen Charlotte, so I googled her and found out about her background. Fascinating stuff.

HannahLL It did pique my curiosity about Queen Charlotte, so I googled her and found out about her background. Fascinating stuff.

Me too!

I've just read about the music.
Modern pop arranged for a string quartet.

Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next”
Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You”
Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood”
Billie Eilish’s “bad guy”
Celeste’s “Strange (feat. Hillary Smith)”
Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams"

I thought it didn't sound right.

It's certainly no Downton nor does it come up any where near the quality of any BBC Jane Austen adaption, but I think the novelist is genuine admirer of JA's work and the plot is in a similar but not so witty JA style and set in beautiful Bath. The virtuous and pretty heroine and the handsome male lead make a pact to pretend they are attached to each other to ward off less desirable suitors, but are clearly destined to fall in love with each other. The colour blind casting adds another dimension to the usual period drama genre. If you liked Armando Iannouci's recent David Copperfield adaption you might like this light and frothy production if you have nothing better to do with your time.

I have such a deep love for pop music played by string quartet for some reason! It fits the sense of the show very well, I thought.

Julia Quinn is a massive admirer of Georgette Heyer - a lot of the historical romance novelists seem to be - and while I’d kill for a good Heyer adaptation this is definitely a good winter’s day binge watch!

I was very curious about how they’d manage a certain plotline, but they went fully for it which is impressive.

Weve just watched the first episode - I loved it (and the Duke!) It was Georgette Heyer on the telly. Doubt DH will bother but I will! Did I mention the Duke!

Even I was swooning over the duke and Lady Danbury is much more my type

How does "Lady Whistledown" afford the printing?

Pittcity

How does "Lady Whistledown" afford the printing?

...and presumably have to pay for people to distribute them. And how old was she supposed to be?

Don't want to put any spoilers on this thread, but that's a very good question. Sparkle.

Loving it. Just about to watch the last episode.

I've got every Georgette Heyer novel in paperback and have had them for many many years. A couple have been serialised by Radio 4 and they appear occasionally on I Player Sounds.

OH gave up early on in episode one. I continued watching as Simon was so gorgeous and I loved the costumes. I have now reached the honeymoon episode. Oh my goodness! Mary Whitehouse must be spinning in her grave.

Oh I'm so pleased to have come across this thread! The series sounds absolutely horrendous, so I won't bother wasting my time

Bathsheba

Oh I'm so pleased to have come across this thread! The series sounds absolutely horrendous, so I won't bother wasting my time

It's not "horrendous". It depends if you are expecting Jane Austen.

I vote for the Duke of Hastings as rear of the year.
I'm looking forward to series 2. ?

I’ll watch it again just for the costumes. How long before series 2 arrives I wonder.
I’ll never think of stepladders the same way again!?

I binge watched last night as going through a bout of insomnia. Loved the costumes and scenery. Spotted the square we stayed in Bath where we stayed for a group family hol. for two significant birthdays.
However, am I the only one who found the sex scenes overlong and laborious? I ended up fast forwarding through those and the boxing scenes, I think the former was just a way to cut down on the expense of the sumptuous costumes and extras!

It’s a distraction from all of the repeats not a patch on Downton and farcical.

Pittcity I’ll vote for his front.

For those of you who enjoyed this, the first two novels are on Amazon today for 99p each. I haven't read them yet so can't comment upon the quality.