A few things that spring to mind when you think of a period drama: tight corsets, courting royals, steamy romances, flowing gowns and old-world glamour. If there’s one thing the British box office has continually executed, it’s this – a genre defined by the likes of The Age of Innocence (1993), the Hugh Grant-starring Sense and Sensibility (1995), Pride and Prejudice (2005), which supercharged Colin Firth’s heart-throb status, and more recent hits such as ITV’s Downton Abbey and, of course, Netflix’s Bridgerton. The list goes on. 

When the latter landed on our screens at Christmas 2020 – offering a much-needed escape from lockdown – it became one of Britain’s most-watched shows, garnering 82 million viewers who simply couldn’t get enough of its raunchy romps and scandalous storylines. Three seasons in and this still rings true, with the uber-successful series having contributed more than quarter of a billion pounds to the UK economy since its launch. With its juicy storylines, catchy soundtrack and enviable fashion, the feverish, perhaps unexpected success of Bridgerton kickstarted a modern resurgence of the period drama. 

Aiming to capitalise on its allure, Bridgerton’s producers quickly created a spin-off series, Queen Charlotte (2023), following a smattering of other period releases such as Emily (2022), which tells the story of English novelist Emily Jane Brontë, and a reboot of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson. 2024’s roster of period dramas has included Mary & George, Sky’s take on the story of the Countess of Buckingham, who moulded her son to seduce King James I, and The Decameron, an Italian drama set in 1348 in which a group of nobles and their servants sheltering from the Black Death regale one another with lurid tales, which in turn descends into debauchery and disaster. Think Love Island but during the Middle Ages…

While the fervour around Bridgerton was somewhat unexpected – the series is now considered a launchpad for actors, its fandom knows no bounds, and its brand encompasses events and cinema takeovers – it had a fool-proof blueprint for cinematic success. Why? Because it was a period drama. 

Bridgerton. Image: Liam Daniel/Netflix

Queen Charlotte (2023). Image: Liam Daniel/Netflix

“The period drama is a genre inextricably caught up with British national identity,” wrote Dr Shelley Anne Galpin for a report published by The Children’s Media Foundation. “Through these dramas we construct an origin story for our present-day culture and invite outsiders in to experience quaint countryside communities, lavish stately homes and Hogwarts-like educational institutions.

“The most successful become part of our public consciousness: think of Colin Firth [in Pride and Prejudice (2005)] emerging wet-shirted from the fictional Pemberley landscape and becoming a Nineties icon in the process. More recently ITV’s Downton Abbey has taken up the baton, with its upstairs-downstairs structure and the scope over its five seasons and (to date) one feature film, for characters to become embedded in the hearts of viewers, tragically killed off, or introduced in later series to freshen up the storylines.”

It would be fair to say, then, that period dramas are nothing new, and nor is Britain’s undying love for them. Blending nostalgia and escapism with a healthy dose of gallery-worthy film sets and designer-approved wardrobes, it seems nothing entices an audience quite like a show that steps back in time. So what do period dramas have that other genres, such as fantasy, don't? 

“It’s a vehicle for great actors,” says film critic and writer Rob Crossan. “Admittedly, it’s a very public school, white, male-dominated Golden Age at the moment, with the likes of Dominic West, Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch, but it puts [any actor] through their paces.

“I think there's also a slight element of intellectual arrogance involved in the sense that, if we watch something like Wolf Hall or I, Claudius, not only can it be enjoyable, but we also come away with a skeletal armature of knowledge about the Roman Empire or Elizabethan England. What that does is create an intellectual prerequisite in order to keep up and follow it. I'm sure one of the main appeals of Shakespeare is not just its brilliance, but the fact that the [audience] understands it. It’s something to be smug about.” 

The Crown

Little Women (2019)

‘Skeletal knowledge’ is right: period dramas have a tendency to, let’s say, play fast and loose with historical accuracy. Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winning film Little Women (2019) came under fire for misrepresenting female fashion in the 19^th century (a lack of bonnets, apparently), and Netflix’s long-running series The Crown was scrutinised for straying too far from the ‘truth’. So, although some audiences tune into period dramas for a history lesson, it’s largely about escapism. 

“It offers a familiar yet distant form of escapism,” expands film blogger and founder of Movie Metropolis, Adam Brannon. “While fantasy often involves completely invented worlds, period dramas anchor viewers in real historical settings that feel relatable but removed from modern life. This grounding in history adds a layer of authenticity that allows people to explore timeless human conflicts and relationships. Plus, the visual splendour of past eras, with their opulent fashions and rigid societal structures, provides a romanticised view of history that can appeal across generations.”

As Brannon mentions, one of the most important aspects of modern period dramas is the visuals. Case in point: Bridgerton is rumoured to have spent $80,000 on costumes, employing a designer to create 1,800 dresses for the first season alone. “Period pieces in theatre and cinema have always had an impact on fashion,” says Summer Anne Lee, a fashion historian and adjunct instructor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. “Historically it was not unheard of for top couturiers, like Paul Poiret, to take on theatrical costuming projects. Historical costuming was especially influential on 1930s fashion. For example, in 1935, Édouard Bourdet’s play Margot, about Marguerite de Valois, was costumed by Parisian couturière Jeanne Lanvin. The next year, ruffled collars and all things with ruffles were marketed as having the ‘Margot’ influence.

“Today, I see the fashion inspiration from period dramas like Bridgerton as being very liberal interpretations. It seems that many different time periods have blended together, and anything with pearls, ruffles, bows, or a long hemline fits the bill because it feels formal and old-fashioned. When it comes to costuming productions like that, there is and has always been a compromise between historical accuracy and fashion and beauty that will appeal to a contemporary audience.”

Clearly, we love the settings, storylines, and costumes – but will the tried-and-tested formula of a period drama ever fail at the box office? “Whereas in the 1980s we would’ve waited half a century before thinking about creating a period drama, the modern definition of one is changing,” says Crossan. 

“Take one of the greats of recent years, A Very English Scandal [a series about British Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, who was accused of conspiracy to murder his gay ex-lover and forced to stand trial in 1979], which wasn’t set that long ago, and Emily Maitlis’ interview with Prince Andrew that only happened yesterday! Period dramas traditionally meant corsets and bonking, but now we are mortalising events that happened temporaneously and we’ve lived through ourselves, so we’re slowly losing that historical element.”

Downton Abbey

Mary & George (2024). Image: Rory Mulvey/Starz/Sky

Brannon adds: “While the market may become saturated with period dramas, it's unlikely that the industry will completely tire of the genre. As long as there’s an appetite for nostalgic storytelling and universal themes that resonate with audiences, period dramas will continue to be produced. However, there might be a shift toward more diverse narratives, different time periods, or fresher perspectives to keep the genre evolving and engaging. The same with any genre, pivots are necessary over time to keep things moving.”

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