Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury: All-white casts in costume dramas have gone for good

It was the hit TV series that reimagined Regency-era England as a land of equals when it came to racing – and now Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh has predicted its impact will mean period dramas with all-white casts will have a thing of the past.

The star, known to the global public as the wasp-like Lady Danbury, said there was a growing awareness that people of color played a bigger role in British history than previously thought.

“The genie is out of the bottle,” she said.

“I don’t think we’ll be casting historical period pieces with all-white casts unless there’s a reason to do so, perhaps if the production is set somewhere like Iceland in 5000 BC. But even then I think there would have been a brave traveler from abroad selling scientific instruments or fabrics.’

Bridgerton, which launched on Netflix in 2020, features an ethnically diverse cast and has changed the way viewers see period dramas.

Andoh, 60, has previously said she doesn’t play Lady Danbury as a ‘fake white’, adding: ‘I am the color that I am – and I play it.’

The acclaimed Shakespearean actress said it was important to accurately portray the nation’s past.

“The thing is, historically, we cut out all those people of color that were part of this nation, especially in the metropolitan areas,” she said.

“It’s about restoring the historical accuracy of the presence of people of color in this country centuries ago. There is some thought that Othello was based on a black tailor Shakespeare would have used in the 16th century.’

Andoh’s words echo those of actor Ashley Thomas, who defended the new BBC adaptation of Great Expectations against claims it was “awake” due to its diverse cast.

The star, who plays scheming barrister Jaggers, told The Times: ‘London was a melting pot of cultures at the time. You had people from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, before the Windrush era. It’s important that shows reflect that. I don’t think it’s about ‘waking up’, it’s about knocking on time.’

Andoh, 60, has previously said she doesn’t play Lady Danbury as a ‘fake white’, adding: ‘I am the color that I am – and I play it’

Andoh stars as Richard III at the Liverpool Playhouse, but hasn’t followed recent trends in the evil monarch’s gender changing.

She plays him with her West Country accent, saying that as a black girl growing up in the Cotswolds, she identified with the alienation felt by the deformed king.

“I read it in a child-centered way,” she said. “It resonated, the lived experience of it. It’s very basic, that “it’s not fair” idea. It doesn’t matter what the bias is. It’s what it does to the human soul.’