Skip to main contentSkip to footer
The cast of Outrageous© UKTV

Bridgerton star shares first-look photos at new period drama with Shetland actor – and she looks so different

Bessie Carter plays real-life novelist  Nancy Mitford in the new series

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
August 15, 2024
Share this:

Bridgerton star Bessie Carter has shared a first look at her upcoming period drama, Outrageous – and we can't wait for this one!

While Bessie is best known for playing the eldest Featherington daughter, Prudence, in the popular Netflix romance, her new role couldn't be more different. 

WATCH: Have you caught up with the latest season of Bridgerton?

The 30-year-old leads the cast as real-life novelist and journalist Nancy Mitford in the upcoming U&Original series, which tells of the notorious Mitford sisters and their lives in 1930s high society. 

Taking to Instagram, Bessie shared a photo from the drama, showing her character Nancy donning a glamorous, bright orange dress, accessorised with a cream feather boa, while wearing her brunette bob in tight curls. "To say I am enjoying playing Nancy Mitford would be an understatement," penned the star. "Big love to the amazing crew and stunning cast."

Bessie Carter in Outrageous© UKTV
Bessie Carter stars as Nancy Mitford in Outrageous

Written and created by Sarah Williams (Small Island, Flesh and Blood) from Mary Lovell's biography The Mitford Girls, the six-parter explores what drove the six aristocratic sisters to forge their very different paths in life. 

The synopsis reads: "Outrageous is the story of six aristocratic sisters who refused to play by the rules, their often-scandalous lives making headlines around the world. Set against the gathering storm clouds of the 1930s, masked by the decadence, frivolity and lavishness of British high society, Outrageous will bring the full, uncensored story of the Mitford sisters to the screen for the first time - a story of family bonds and betrayals, public scandal, political extremism, love, heartache and even imprisonment. 

Anna Chancellor in Outrageous© KEVIN BAKER
Anna Chancellor plays Muv

"The show explores how and why these women, unwilling to conform, were so ahead of their time - and what drove them to take their very different, complex and often dangerous paths. A family saga like no other, this is the Mitfords as they really were: unapologetic, outrageous and utterly human."

Bessie stars alongside Joanna Vanderham (The Control Room) as Diana Mitford, Shannon Watson (The Jetty) as Unity Mitford, Zoe Brough (Casualty) as Jessica Mitford, Orla Hill (Stonehouse) as Deborah Mitford and Isobel Jesper Jones (The Serpent Queen) as Pamela Mitford. 

 James Purefoy in Outrageous© KEVIN BAKER
James Purefoy plays Farve

Meanwhile, Toby Regbo (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) plays their brother Tom, with Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane, Shetland) and James Purefoy (Malpractice) portraying the heads of the family, Muv and Farve.

Rounding out the cast are Joshua Sasse (Love is in the Air) as Oswald Mosley, Jamie Blackley (Becoming Elizabeth) as Peter Rodd, James Musgrave (Einstein and the Bomb) as Hamish Erskine, Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) as Bryan Guinness and Will Attenborough (Our Girl) as Joss.

The series arrives on U and U&DRAMA in 2025.

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more