Bridget Jones: BBC announces new documentary presented by author Helen Fielding

‘At heart Bridget Jones was always about the gap between how we’re expected to be and how we actually are,’ said Fielding, ‘in the age of social media that gap has got horrifyingly wider’

Ellie Harrison
Friday 09 August 2019 11:53 EDT
Comments
Bridget Jones's Baby Clip - Carrying Bridget

Your support helps us to tell the story

My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.

Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.

Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond

Eric Garcia

Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

The BBC has announced that a Bridget Jones documentary presented by author Helen Fielding will air in 2020.

Being Bridget, which will be broadcast 25 years after the iconic character was introduced, will be part of a BBC Arts year-long celebration of literature.

In the documentary, Fielding, who created the character, will look back at Bridget Jones’s cultural impact since her diary entries first appeared in newspapers, books and then films.

Bridget Jones started life as a weekly column in the pages of The Independent in 1995, when Fielding worked at the newspaper. The column chronicled the life of Jones as a thirty-something single woman in London trying to make sense of life and love.

“It’s great that Bridget Jones is resonating with the daughters of the original audience – girls in their late teens and early twenties,” said Fielding. “Even if it does make me feel like Snow White’s mother.”

She added: “At heart Bridget Jones was always about the gap between how we’re expected to be and how we actually are. In the age of social media that gap has got horrifyingly wider.

“I hope Bridget helps people to laugh and remember that being warm, funny human and flawed is OK and doesn’t require an Instagram filter.”

The documentary will include archive footage and interviews with Fielding and the friends who inspired the original characters, as well as celebrity fans playing tribute to the character.

Being Bridget will air on the BBC in 2020

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in