NETFLIX this week announced that edgy period drama Bridgerton was in its top three most watched shows in the world.
Which is perhaps why it has pumped millions into building this huge new set at Shepperton Studios just outside of London.
Previously, filming has taken place in front of stately homes or famous streets, including Bath’s Royal Crescent.
Now I can reveal the various backdrops have been recreated in one location near the capital.
It will make filming much easier and probably help attract even more A-list actors to join the cast, which includes Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington.
A TV insider said: “This is a huge investment for Bridgerton which is filming its fourth series.
“The fact they have spent millions on the new set suggests there will be many more seasons of the Netflix drama to come too.
“It’s a similar commitment to when the streamer was making The Crown, which saw landmarks like Downing Street and Buckingham Palace built.
“And that Netflix period drama went on for six series.”
The Royal Crescent, which they have reconstructed, was used as the backdrop for the street where the Featherington residence is.
Also on the new “Compact Bridgertown” set is Madame Delacroix’s shop, plus several other streets and buildings that will be familiar to fans.
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos was in London this week for the Royal Television Society’s conference, which the streamer was sponsoring.
He revealed its most-watched shows were all made in the UK.
Harlan Coben thriller Fool Me Once, starring Michelle Keegan, topped the charts, ahead of Baby Reindeer, with Bridgerton and The Gentlemen in third and fourth place respectively.
Ted said: “Number one, two, three and four shows were produced here in the UK . . . combined that is 360million households.”
Ted also said he was pleased that shows such as Bridgerton were filmed “in the South West”, which was presumably a reference to the time they have previously spent in Bath.
I’m guessing that it will be more South West London from now on.
PRUE IN SECOND COURSE
PRUE LEITH returns for a second run of her cooking series – as ITV gives viewers a taste of three new shows.
The Great British Bake Off host previously took fans inside her own home for Cotswold Kitchen, where she was joined by a cast of celebrity friends.
ITV has confirmed it is coming back for a second series and will again see Prue sharing recipes and culinary tips.
Also next year, restaurateur Nisha Katona will feature in her own series, Home Kitchen.
Nisha – who lives with her family, three dogs, four horses, four goats, ducks, chickens and alpacas – will be whipping up dishes using locally sourced ingredients.
And the hat-trick of new series is completed with talk show The Royal Beat, hosted by former X Factor presenter Kate Thornton.
It will air on ITV1 and ITVX from next month, featuring interviews with royal experts and Palace insiders.
Bizbit
THE makers of Made In Chelsea have headed Down Under for a series with a hot new cast of reality stars.
Made In Bondi, which starts on E4 at 10.05pm on Monday, will capture the real lives of Sydney-based socialites from some of the most affluent areas near the famous Australian beach.
ANDY: I’LL NOT ACE STRICTLY
ANDY MURRAY teamed up with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke yesterday – but vowed not to copy his mum Judy and become a contestant on the BBC One dance contest.
The retired Wimbledon champion and Anton were playing alongside Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre and cricket legend Jimmy Anderson in a celebrity Pro-Am game ahead of today’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Andy said: “I enjoyed playing with Bob, Anton, and Jimmy.
“Anton was the entertainer out there.
“But as for joining Anton on Strictly, that’s highly unlikely.
“Don’t know what my brother will be doing, but it won’t be me, that’s for sure.”
Maybe he can give sibling Jamie a wee nudge.
ED GETS TOUGH ON DADS
FORMER Army captain Ed Stafford is jetting British dads off to the Costa Rican wilderness for a new series in a bid to make them harder on their children.
But despite teams of fathers and kids doing tough survival challenges on Into The Jungle With Ed Stafford, he says the show is nothing like SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Instead, it is all about helping dads realise the importance of being more involved in their children’s upbringing.
Discussing the Channel 4 show, which starts on Tuesday at 9.30pm, he told me: “The challenges are all about self-development.
“They’re meant to put the dads outside their comfort zone and make them think about what’s going wrong.”
He added: “They all know that they are there to work on building a stronger relationship with their kids.”
TWO acclaimed documentaries are to return to BBC Three and iPlayer.
Ten years after its first series, Bafta-winning Life And Death Row is back with three new episodes on capital punishment cases in the US.
And Our War, about soldiers in the Afghanistan conflict, is back in a one-off episode.
KIELL HAS DATING SEWN UP
THE Great British Sewing Bee host Kiell Smith-Bynoe admits he lacks needlework skills, but says he once tried tailoring as a teen – in a bid to impress girls.
He told Harry Hill on his Are We There Yet? podcast: “We had a girls’ school next door to our school.
“Everyone had a girlfriend from the sister school.
“You would be prepared to see girls after school so you would be an absolute disgusting slob all day, and at the end of the day you would fix yourself up, tie your tie real short, as short as possible.
“In class, we would pick out the threads with a compass to make extra stripes in the tie.
“Where did it all start? Well, there.”
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
