Bridgerton Season 1 cast and characters: Here’s who brought the Netflix period drama to life

Netflix's Bridgerton revived and reinvented the genre of period drama with it's choice of characters and it's glossy, gossip fueled version of regency era London, blending corsets and classical pop covers, romance and scandal and tradition and chaos. Four seasons in, the show is already a fan favorite, but it all started with the debut season and the characters that have stayed with us throughout the series' second, third and fourth runs.

From debutantes navigating brutal marriage markets to power players pulling strings behind polite smiles, each performance added texture to a world driven by desire, reputation, and whispered gossip. Whether it was the slow burn romance that anchored the season or the sharp tongued figures stirring trouble from the sidelines, the ensemble understood the assignment and laid the foundation for this global obsession.

Here are the main characters who brought Bridgerton Season 1 to life, and where you must have seen them before.

Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton

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Daphne Bridgerton enters the ton as perfection personified. She is polished, polite, and immediately favored by the queen, making her the season’s most desirable debutante. But when competition threatens her future, Daphne takes control of her own narrative. Her carefully planned fake courtship starts as a strategy and slowly turns into something real, emotional, and deeply transformative, forcing her to question duty, desire, and what love actually costs.

Dynevor was no stranger to period drama before Bridgerton. She built her career across British television with roles in Dickensian, Waterloo Road, Prisoners’ Wives, and The Village. She also starred as Clarice Cliff in The Colour Room and continues expanding her slate with thrillers, adaptations, and upcoming executive producer credits.

Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown

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Lady Whistledown is the unseen force shaping regency society. Through her scandal sheets, she exposes the ton’s most carefully hidden secrets, sparking paranoia, obsession, and power plays across London. Feared, devoured, and endlessly speculated about, her voice controls reputations with a single sentence.

Julie Andrews has a voice you will remember from her expansive film and television credits. Her most famous film credits include Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, The Princess Diaries, Shrek, Enchanted, and Julie’s Greenroom.

Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset

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Simon Basset arrives in London as the Duke everyone wants and no one can pin down. Worldly, guarded, and deeply uninterested in the marriage mart, he shocks the ton by forming a calculated alliance with Daphne Bridgerton.

Regé-Jean Page is known for his earlier roles in Waterloo Road, Roots, and ABC’s For the People. He has also worked on The Gray Man, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the spy thriller Black Bag.

Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton

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Anthony Bridgerton is the viscount and the head of his family, carrying their responsibility after his father's death. He is torn between obligation and desire, managing siblings, reputation and his own restlessness. Although his arc is more centered in the second season, the first season is plenty for us to know and understand the young man who will soon lead the second season's spotlight.

Apart from Bridgerton, Bailey is known for his roles in Fellow Travelers, earning him a Critics’ Choice win and an Emmy nomination. He later appeared in Wicked, Wicked: For Good, and Jurassic World Rebirth, proving his range across romance, drama, and blockbuster spectacle.

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte

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Queen Charlotte rules regency England with absolute authority and impeccable taste. But when Lady Whisteldown tries to blow all the curtains off the palace, she takes a sharp step to put a stop to this gossip.

Golda Rosheuvel plays Charlotte across the four seasons and then the spin-off Queen Charlotte as well. She is known for her roles in Dune, Lady Macbeth and Luther.

Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton

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Eloise Bridgerton has zero patience for the ton and even less interest in becoming someone’s wife. Sharp tongued, book obsessed, and fiercely independent, she would rather debate ideas with her best friend Penelope Featherington than sip tea at society gatherings. Eloise fixates on exposing Lady Whistledown for justice. Constantly pushing against the cult of domesticity, she longs for a life shaped by choice, curiosity, and freedom rather than marriage.

Claudia Jessie's credits include Line of Duty, Vanity Fair, Call the Midwife, Porters, and Doctor Who. Jessie’s background in drama and comedy grounds Eloise’s growth from sheltered girl to questioning young woman, making her one of Bridgerton’s most emotionally resonant performances.

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington

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Penelope Featherington begins as a wallflower in unflattering yellow gowns, quietly nursing a crush on Colin Bridgerton (more on that in the later seasons!) But she is observant, deep, and understands things sharply. She's not too enthusiastic about marriage but finds joy in friendship, particularly her best friend Eloise.

Apart from Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan's most iconic role is Clare Devlin on Derry Girls. She has also held roles in Harlots, Barbie, Doctor Who, and Big Mood.