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The World of ‘Bridgerton’ Video Series: Queen Charlotte’s Court

The World of ‘Bridgerton’ Video Series: The Women of ‘Bridgerton’

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Television

Director, Short Form Content at Shondaland.com

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Long Form Article

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Bridgerton

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Hearst Editorial

(upbeat playful music) - The London Season is about social season. The term that was used at the time was to see and be seen to be present, to be visible, to be attending all of those events, to be written about in the newspapers. It is a kind of red carpet lifestyle. The reason for that is about the marriage market. It's about these family alliances, which bring with them financial alliances, political alliances. There's a lot more at stake than just a young man and a young woman getting married. It's called a season because it's for six months maximum. It tallies with when Houses of Parliament is sitting. So lots of the heads of the households, the fathers will be going to parliament before they go to the theater and their parties. And it brings all of the ruling world together, all of the worlds of the politicians and their families into London into a kind of concentrated world of power. And part of that power is about performing it, about being seen in public, about wearing your most glittering outfit to the theater, about being reported in the newspapers, being in the press like the Lady Whistledown papers, going to the pleasure garden, as well as having your private parties and those parties are private, but of course you can still read about them in the newspapers the next day, just like you can, a kind of Oscar after-party. So this kind of sequence of party, party, party, party, party is actually really, sort of what The London Season involved. (upbeat classical music) - I feel like their version of social media and like double, is they go to balls and dinners and luncheons and garden parties. And that's where they can sort of get double tapped I guess, or a thumb or whatever, because then everyone comes away from those environments and they're like, "Oh, the Bridgerton boys were doing this. "Oh, the Featherington or Lady Cowper," I feel like that that's where they did their social rank, that's where the ranking would come in. (classical music) (crowd talking indistinctly) (man shouting) - The ton feels like the elite of the elite, they're in the company of royalty. So they're not upper class, they're aristocracy. And these families are as old as it gets. So I don't think you get into this club. I think you are born into it and that's a gilded cage. The fact you are born into it, I don't know how you get out. (Shelley chuckles) You have to do something very wrong, like Mary, and then you're chucked out. (somber classical music) - When you get to a certain level underneath that, you're not allowed in. And that's something that I, as Golda struggle with. Do you know what I mean? But for this piece and playing the queen, I think it's a very important part of who she is and how she runs her world. - You see it in a modern royal family that when outsiders come in, they will always stick to the people who are linked directly to the throne, rather than the outsiders because that perpetuates and it's the same with the aristocracy, it's a small elite bunch. And it's mainly about the family from which you came and if it's an old established family, then the more powerful you'll be. - In a way, even someone like Penelope is sort of shy and reserved, she's still knows she belongs there. And I think if you're gonna stand up and be judged by the queen, you've got to be ready to like bring it at any occasion. And yeah, but also to know you're gonna be judged. There's a big amount of scrutiny, I think, goes with being in the ton and knowing that everyone could know your business. 'Cause they were the celebrities of that day. They were the ones that people took their papers up to read out in the scandal sheets. - There weren't that many of them, to be honest, it was a small, elite group of families in London that would come to London. A lot of them lived outside London, they'd come in for the season, for the debutante season to be seen and to be lavished and they would all have balls at some point. And it was very much a one-upmanship situation of who could have the better ball. Decadence was huge. People may see that, actually, when we're doing the ball sequences, you quite often see the same faces in the balls. And it's not because we haven't got enough supporting artists to have different people, it's actually a conscious decision to have the same people at the balls because it would've all been about the mamas looking at the young girls and gossiping about, "Oh, she was at that ball last week "where she went off with that chap." And all of that goes on. - Your value system has to be a bit off, which is, because presumably they just spend all their days sort of trying to recover from the night before. Going and getting coiffured, getting dressed. I mean, it sounds great for like a couple of nights but to do that and to live in a sort of empty hole that every night you have to present yourself and then disappear. I know there was a conversation very early on about the Bridgertons were kind of like the Kardashians or the Featheringtons were, that they were, the idea of these hugely famous families within society. Well, now it's easy to compare to the celebrity culture, which I think is what is quite interesting about this. And actually it does sort of tap into the red top tabloid, sort of Whistledown as cancel culture, as we know it now. - I think it's one of those things where everyone sort of puts on a little mask and sort of embodies someone that's an element of their own persona, but not really them. I think everyone's doing that anyway, but certainly in one of those social situations, everyone's sort of best face is on. - Well it's theater, isn't it? There's a theatrical element to it. It's being totally at ease with performing, I think, and people who struggle with in the world of the ton are the people who are like, "Oh, this is just not me. "And I don't think I can do it." It's like, I think, a lot of the characters who struggle around the ton are people who feel like they can't deliver what they need to deliver. And I think there is something to deliver when you are in the ton. It looks very strange and sort of, of the 19th century. And actually, I'd say there's a ton today and there's a way to behave today. The codes are different, but there are codes and it's just as, everyone has the same balance to maintain, which is themselves and then, the rest of the world. (slow ominous music) - To be a member of the ton you have to remember that these people are incredibly rich. So if I say what it takes to be a member of the ton, one thing and that's money. I mean, yeah, they had loads of events, but they also had servants who would dress them, who would do their hair, who would do their makeup. They'd have carriages to take them from event to event. That is all their life was dedicated to because they had money. - Breeding, that's the huge part of the aristocracy, is the family you come from. - To be a member of the social elite, to be a member of the ton, at that time, requires money. It requires constant vigilance, concentration and ears like a bat to know what's going on. - I don't think there was any way to become a member of the ton unless you were born into it. I mean, even the Sharmas coming from India, still Mary Sharma was born into society. - Surely, it feels like it's an inherited thing. Like it's probably gotta do with your lineage and your dowries, 'cause I wouldn't be a member of the ton, I'd be staff. - It takes walking. (Luke laughs) Yeah, it's walking, I mean pretty much anyone can, but it takes walking with presence and pride. - Servants, it takes everybody else to do the stuff for you so that you look flawless. This isn't even the society and look how much effort it takes from everybody else, you included, to get us on there to just drink a cup of tea for the afternoon. It takes enormous amount of work. - I guess you need to be a good dancer or at least have had some dance lessons because as soon as they put that song on, you gotta get up there and you gotta know it. You gotta know it, you gotta know your routine. You'll be on the beat. Luckily, Daphne didn't have to do any dancing in Season 2 so that's good. Actually, it's quite sad, I missed it quite a lot. (upbeat music) - [Man] Okay, thank you. - I think I would have a blast. I mean, I think the party atmosphere, it'd just be in a lot cooler threads if I got to be drafted in that period than it is today. - I mean, if you like parties and gossip, then yeah, it's perfect. But that's not how I like to spend my spare time. - What the heck would I even do? I think I'd just be like the unfortunate sister that would just sort of sit there and sort of do my needle work and be like, "I have no friend." I don't know, that's very tragic that that's what I think about myself, isn't it? - I think I could live that life quite happily, yeah. I think I could go to a few balls and to have that amount of costumes, and well, that amount of clothing. Yeah, bring it on. - No, I'm the wallflower. I can't get served at a bar, so no. - I think I would go through hair, makeup and wardrobe really well and I would really enjoy it. Put me in a dance class, I would love it. - No, if I've got like an event to go to, it'll take it, like I've got to limit to like one a week. Otherwise I'm just exhausted. And I'm like, "I need to watch Netflix "in bed for a couple of days." - I mean, I can definitely see the appeal of being an incredibly rich lady who only sort of leisures around. I think, yeah, that sounds very appealing. Would it be fulfilling in the long run? Absolutely not. - I think I'd probably have a very similar time to Kate and I think I would spend a lot of time with my horse. - I love the idea of like looking after oneself. And I like the idea of spending time with my family and being able to go out with the lads, but also, I like the sophistication of it and the formality of the interaction, but only for a day. I'd hate to have to go out on walks, just to be seen, terrible. - I reckon it would've been well intense. I would've hated it. Always looking like you're not having a best time. (Claudia chuckles) No. - And what if you didn't have any friends? And I mean like, what if you didn't get on with them? What if you saw everyone was just an idiot? - I think we bring back maybe like, it would be cool if to learn a dance, like at a party. How cool would that be? If everyone just broke out into dance and they were like, "Okay let's go," and everyone knew the moves. (slow music) (woman speaking indistinctively) - [Woman] Everyone.

The cast and crew explore what it took to make it in the competitive ton during Bridgerton's Regency era and how it relates to the modern social scene.