Downton Abbey star teams up with famous daughter for revival of beloved drama

Dame Imelda Staunton is teaming up with her Bridgerton star daughter Bessie Carter for an upcoming West End play – and it sounds amazing. 

The 69-year-old, who is known and loved for her roles in The Crown, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey: A New Era, will star opposite her 31-year-old daughter in the revival of George Bernard Shaw's 1890s play, Mrs Warren's Profession.

Bessie, who is the only daughter of Imelda and actor Jim Carter, will portray Cambridge graduate Vivie, who learns that her mother Kitty (Staunton) has earned her fortune from running brothels. 

The comical drama, which was written in 1893, was banned prior to its first public performance in 1902.

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Four-time Olivier Award winner Imelda shared her excitement about starring alongside her daughter, who is perhaps best known for playing Prudence Featherington in Netflix's period drama Bridgerton. "The new year felt like the perfect time to return to the stage in Mrs Warren's Profession, a play which asks ever-pertinent questions about the role of women in society, and the choices they make for survival," she said in a statement. 

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"I couldn't be happier to be stepping into the rehearsal room with my very great friend and colleague Dominic; and my brilliant daughter Bessie. What a treat for 2025."

Director Dominic Cooke added: "Although Mrs Warren’s Profession is over 120 years old, it still has the power to shock with its frank and provocative examination of the exploitative nature of society and the double standards applied to women.

© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Imelda Staunton on Follies and Hello, Dolly! and I’m thrilled to collaborate with her for the first time on a play, especially alongside the super-talented Bessie Carter.

"Additionally, I’m excited to reunite with (producer) Sonia Friedman after 15 years.

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"I can't wait to bring this remarkable play and brilliant cast to London audiences in the spring."

The production will open at the Garrick Theatre on May 22, with previews from May 10, and will run until August 16.

This isn't the first time Bessie has teamed up with one of her parents. The actress co-starred with her dad Jim in the short film, PIGS, which premiered at the London Film Festival last year and also marked Bessie's first prominent producing role.

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Described as a "darkly comic surrealist comedy", the film delves into the lives of three generations of women and their individual relationships to inheritance, desirability, and power. Olivia Williams (The Father, Dune: Prophecy), Marlene Sidaway (Mum) and Amar Chadha-Patel (The Decameron) also star.