• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Thursday May 9 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bath looks forward to a Bridgerton bonanza as new series hits screens next week

Bath is set to benefit from a Bridgerton bonanza as a new series of the Regency England-set romantic soap opera hits screens next week.

Much of the show – which has attracted more than 200 million viewers on Netflix – is filmed in Bath, and new stats from Visit West – in research commissioned by metro mayor Dan Norris – suggest the popular period drama has already contributed more than £5 million to the local economy from UK and international visitors.

Bridgerton has sparked the development of a new industry surrounding the show, with thousands of extra visitors to The Guildhall, Royal Crescent, and other brilliant, historic Bath attractions featuring in the popular period drama with a modern take.

This includes the creation of new tours and experiences. Bath Walking Tours has specifically designed a new tour taking in the show’s most memorable filming locations.

The metro mayor has hailed a ‘Bridgerton Effect’ as “a huge boost for Bath’s economy” and the wider West of England – which he called “the Hollywood of the UK.”

“Some people say Bath is ‘one of the stars of Bridgerton’. I would say that actually the reverse is true – Bridgerton is one of the stars of this incredible city, and our amazing West of England region,” he said.

“The series showcases the brilliant sites and attractions that make Bath what it is, and all at their most romantic. It’s no wonder it put people in the mood for some West of England romance.

“The ‘Bridgerton Effect’ is huge for our region – generating millions for the West, and sparking a whole new tourist industry as thousands from every part of the world flock here.”

Content produced in the West reaches 800 million viewers a month

The streets of Bath and some of the most familiar landmarks in the West of England are to appear more frequently on the big screen as a slew of TV dramas and films follow Bridgerton’s lead, including the new series of the hit comedy thriller The Outlaws, based in Bristol, the much-anticipated BBC drama Wolf Hall and Disney series Rivals, all of which were produced in the region.

The series follows a number of positive developments in the West of England film and TV sector in the last 18 months, including the opening of not one but two new film studios – the £12 million Mayoral Combined Authority-funded Bottle Yard Studios expansion (TBY2) as well as the £1 million Box7 studio that doubles up as a nightclub – both opened by Dan Norris.

The West of England currently has the largest concentration of production companies outside of London churning out content watched by 800 million people each month. The region is best known for its natural history focus, with 35 per cent of all natural history content produced in the region.

Image courtesy of Netflix