Nicola Coughlan shares first look of her Doctor Who cameo
Did someone say.... Doctor Whistledown?
Last updated 15th Nov 2023
In 2022 it was announced that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa - who also recently featured in the groundbreaking Barbie movie - would be taking over from Jodie Whittaker in the role of the illustrious Doctor Who. And now, in some very exciting news, we can now look forward to seeing none other than Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan appear in the 2024 Christmas Special - with the star even sharing a sneak peek at her character!
Just days after it was revealed that Lady Whistledown herself would be appearing in next year's Christmas Special, Nicola treated fans to a first look image of her on the Doctor Who set - with her and BBC writing: 'Here's your first look at @nicolacoughlan on set of #DoctorWho! ✨🎬'.
Of course, fans were overjoyed with the sneak peek, with one commenting: 'GASP 😍', another adding: 'Well if @nicolacoughlan is in this episode then I guess I need to catch up on the last few seasons now 😂🫶🏼🌈💜' and another writing: 'SO EXCITED FOR NICOLA!!! 😍😍😍😍'. (sic)
One fan even added: 'I’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who in my LIFE but I will ABSOLUTELY start watching so that I can watch this special episode and enjoy my girl within the context of what’s going on.' (sic)
A week before Nicola shared the pic, the news of her upcoming appearance was 'teased' by showrunner Russell T Davis. Speaking at a press event, ahead of the anniversary episode that will see the anticipated return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Russell teased that next year's Christmas special could see an appearance from Nicola.
That's right, when questioned on which other guest stars we might expect in the upcoming 14th season, Russell quipped: "Oh, they’ll tell me off", with Digital Spy reporting that he then added: "(We've got) Nicola Coughlan at Christmas."
Before fans got too excited, the showrunner clarified: "Not this Christmas, next Christmas", meaning we could expect to see Nicola make her appearance in late 2024 - with him adding: "We’re shooting Christmas 2024 now!"
Nicola then took to Instagram to celebrate the news, writing: 'Off to the Whoniverse 👽
'@russelltdavies63 the loveliest man in the world, thank you so much for asking me to join you on the joy that is Doctor Who and letting me share the screen with the ridiculously brilliant @ncutigatwa, how lucky am I- I’m loving every minute ❤️❤️'. (sic)
Fans were elated with the news, with one exclaiming: 'OKAY I SEE YOU BEING ICONIC' (sic), and Russell himself even adding: 'Yahoooo ❤️❤️❤️ so excited! So much joy! You’re just amazing, thank you darling xxx'.
Confirmation that the cast and crew are hard at work on the Christmas 2024 episode offered up an explanation to many fans, following some eagle-eyed sleuths revealing that they had already spotted Nicola filming in Cardiff.
Of course, Nicola isn't just known for her incredible performance on Netflix's Bridgerton, having also captured the hearts of the nation with her appearance in Channel 4's Derry Girls, as well as making an appearance in the global hit movie Barbie.
It's fair to say Nicola has been very busy recently, with fans eagerly waiting for Netflix to drop the release date for the upcoming third season of Bridgerton. The new season is set to revolve around Nicola's character, Penelope Featherington, and Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton - and by the looks of the first look pics, romance is on the cards.
Check out these Bridgerton facts you probably didn't know:
The show is adapted from Julia Quinn's novels
Like many successful TV series and films, Netflix's Bridgerton was actually adapted from a book series! The books were written by Julia Quinn, with each one focusing on a different member of the Bridgerton family, and have so far followed the same order - The Duke and I (season one) and The Viscount Who Love Me (season two).
There are a total of nine books in the series.
Queen Charlotte wasn't included in the original books
Although Queen Charlotte was a real-life monarch, she wasn't actually featured in the original Julia Quinn books. Julia seems to stick by her decision, however, saying: "Queen Charlotte is the biggest new character and she's fantastic in every way. I go back and forth between 'Wow, I wish I'd put her in the books', and 'I'm glad I didn't put her in the books because I wouldn't have done her as great as they do her here."
The Queen of England once interrupted Bridgerton filming
Yep, it's true! Bridgerton's creator revealed that the iconic scene that showed The Duke and Daphne plead their case to Queen Charlotte was put under a some-what time constraint when being filmed at Lancaster House in London, with the real Queen - yes, Queen Elizabeth - needing the space to host an event!
Bridgerton is not entirely historically accurate
Despite many aspects of Bridgerton being historically accurate, for example Queen Charlotte being involved in social happenings, not all of the show is as spot on.
The show had cultural experts on hand during production, however Julia Quinn explained the importance of the show taking a different approach, aiming for a diverse reimagining of London's high society. She explained: "It's important to remember that 'Bridgerton' isn't a history lesson. The show is for a modern audience."
Coronation Street's Sally Dynevor is Phoebe Dynevor's mum
Oh, to be a Dynevor! Acting clearly runs in the family, with Sally Dynevor being Phoebe's mum in real life! Sally is most known for her role as Sally Webster in popular soap Coronation Street - and she even competed on Dancing On Ice in the 2022 series!
Prior to Bridgerton, Phoebe Dynevor starred in TV series Snatch alongside Rupert Grint
Before becoming a household name for her role as Daphne Bridgerton, Phoebe Dynevor appeared as Lotti Mott in the 2017 TV series Snatch - a series adaptation of the film of the same name.
Phoebe starred alongisde other huge names such as Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, Emily in Paris' Lucien Laviscount and Skins' Luke Pasqualino.
Julie Andrews voices Lady Whistledown
The legend that is Julie Andrews voices the iconic script of Lady Whistledown in the Bridgerton. The iconic English actress narrates the mysterious gossip writer throughout the series, with her voice being heard in both series one and two.
Bridgerton was not strictly filmed in London
Although Bridgerton is set in Regency London, it was not strictly filmed within the famous streets. Filming locations for the series were scattered around the UK, with the cast and crew heading to Hertfordshire, Yorkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Surrey, with most of the filming actually taking place in Bath.
Although we hate to ruin the magic of travelling back to the 1800s, many of the show's sets were actually created from CGI. Take a look through the real-life Bridgerton filming locations that you can visit in person!
Bridgerton and The Crown share filming locations
To those of you that thought some of the sets look a little familiar, you may not be that surprised to hear that Bridgerton shared multiple filming locations with popular series The Crown.
Interior shots for both the Duke and Duchess's home and Queen Charlotte's home were filmed at Wilton House, a gorgeous Wiltshire-based estate that was also used for interior shots of Buckingham Palace in The Crown.
The Duke of Hastings' home was filmed in various locations
The Duke of Hastings' home is pretty massive, so it's no surprise that multiple filming locations were used to get that perfect representation! Four different filming locations were used in total, these being Wilton House in Wiltshire, Syon House in Brentford, Castle Howard in York and Badminton House in Gloucestershire.
Wilton House served as the portrait hall, hallway, dining room and entrance hall, while Syon House provided the study and dressing room, and Badminton House being the parlour and mornings rooms. Castle Howard was used for exterior shots that fans will recognise of The Duke's home.
Princess Diana's family home was the inspiration behind the Bridgerton House
There's no denying that all of the luxurious family homes featured in Bridgerton are pretty enviable. Show producer Chris Van Dusen revealed on Twitter that it was in fact Princess Diana's family home that inspired Bridgerton House, writing: 'The interior of Bridgerton House was inspired by my visit to Althorp when I was developing the show. Elegance. Opulence. And that #staircase'.
Bridgerton's tea shop actually existed in the 19th century
Anyone for a cuppa? Yep, the tea shop that Daphne and The Duke frequent was in fact real - located in London's Berkley Square in the 19th century!
Although, it was originally a confectionary store in real life. The shop was originally named the Pot and Pine Apple, but changed its name to Gunter's Tea Shop.
Pride and Prejudice provided inspiration for some of the racier scenes
Bridgerton is no stranger to a saucy scene, with the show taking inspiration for some of the more racy scenes from none other than the legendary Pride and Prejudice.
One particular shot that drew inspiration from the 1995 BBC TV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel is Anthony Bridgerton's wet shirt scene, featured in season two. Producer Chris Van Dusen joked: "Obviously, Colin Firth coming out of that lake with the white shirt is seared in my mind."
The racier scenes were filmed with an intimacy director on hand
With the show being packed with some pretty racy scenes, it's no surprise that filming took place under the watchful eye of an intimacy director.
Regé-Jean Page, who stars as The Duke of Hastings, described the intimacy co-ordinator as taking the 'risk' out of the more, shall we say, 'sexy' scenes.
Many of the classic Bridgerton hairstyles were based on real celebrities
Bridgerton drew inspiration from several places, spanning over various decades! Season one's hair and makeup artist Marc Pilcher told Insider that Audrey Hepburn's hair in 1956 film War and Peace inspired Daphne Bridgerton's curled bangs.
Other hair inspo for characters such as Queen Charlotte and Lady Featherington came from other iconic looks such as Beyoncé's hair in 2002's Austin Powers and a red-headed Elizabeth Taylor.
7,500 bespoke outfits were made for season one alone
Quite the wardrobe! Season two costume designer Sophie Canale revealed that having about 7,500 bespoke outfits from season one helped them create looks for season two, building on the style of all of the women's and crowd costumes.
Producer Chris Van Dusen came up with the idea of modern-day pop songs instrumental covers
The show became an instant hit for a multitude of reasons, with the incredible soundtrack being one of them! As fans will know, the show regularly features modern pop-songs with a Bridgerton make-over - the idea for which came from producer Chris Van Dusen.
Chris had the idea to blend the genres of modern music with orchestral stylings. The series' music supervisor said: "The familiarity of these pop songs performed by a quartet or orchestral seemed the most seamless way to create a 'Bridgerton' musical signature and also support Bowers' beautiful score."
Lady Whistledown's identity wasn't always set on Penelope Featherington
Imagine how differently the show could have turned out if the bright Penelope Featherington wasn't in fact Lady Whistledown! Despite Penelope being revealed as Lady Whistledown in the books, the true identity of the infamous gossip writer for the Netflix adaptation wasn't actually always set in stone.
Characters such as Daphne and Eloise Bridgerton were in the running, as well as Lady Danbury and Brimsley also being contenders.
All actors were fitted with earpieces while dancing
Dancing scenes were made that little bit tricker when cast were required to wear earpieces during filming. Luke Newton, known for playing Colin Bridgerton, touched on the matter, saying: "Hats off to the dancers because they do it every take, and they do it perfectly, and then I step in, and I feel like I've got two left feet because I can not hear the music. I hear everyone else talking!"
Nicola Coughlan originally auditioned for Eloise Bridgerton
After being contacted about auditioning for the show, Nicola originally read for the role of Eloise Bridgerton. it was show producer Chris Van Dusen that actually noticed that she was perfect for the role of the youngest Featherington sister, saying: "I called all of our other producers into the room and showed them the tape. I'm happy to say that everyone loved her as much as I did."
Nicola later described that she drew inspiration for her portrayal of the character from fans of the book series, saying: "I spent a lot of time lurking on online book forums to see what fans thought. I realized that Penelope is this really beloved character, because she's not this perfect girl that all the boys love."
2023 has been a busy year for the actress, with the star recently taking to Instagram to celebrate her role in this year's hit Barbie movie. Nicola wrote: '💖 Barbie Forever 💖
'Being a tiny part of this movie will forever be a huge highlight of my life, Greta Gerwig you’re everything the world could wish you to be and more
'Also the fact that @barbiethemovie is the number one movie of ALL TIME in Ireland is just the best thing ever 💚'. (sic)
The upcoming 14th season of Doctor Who will star Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor himself, alongside Millie Gibson as his companion, with the series set to air in 2024.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about the wonderful Nicola Coughlan
Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa announced as the new Doctor Who
Everything you need to know about the Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa