In 1996, Helen Fielding, an author and then-columnist, wrote the now-beloved classic, Bridget Jones’ Diary. After its insane levels of success in Britain and later America, the on-screen adaptation joined the conversation in 1998. Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant originated the Roles of Bridget Jones, Mark Darcy, and Daniel Cleaver, respectively. By the time the movie came out in 2001, the sequel book, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, had hit the shelves two years earlier.
After the second movie of the same name’s release, Fielding went on to write two more books for the characters: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2013) and Bridget Jones’ Baby (2016). 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby, starring Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey as Bridget’s love interests, opened with the funeral service of Daniel Cleaver. At the end of the film, it was revealed to the audience that Daniel was found alive, leaving the door open for his re-appearance in the 2025 film. 9 years later, the 2013 book, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, became the fourth and final installment of the saga.
Starring Renee Zellweger, for the last time, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, picks up 3 years after the untimely death of her beloved husband, Mark Darcy. The artwork explores the story of a widowed woman’s journey of learning to raise children on her own, and inevitably, reenter the dating world. The film plays on the strings of nostalgia to allow long-time fans a chance to connect with Jones’ story once more.
While Bridget Jones utilized many storytelling techniques fabulously, the use of color to highlight her incredibly girlie mentality was one of the most noticeable during my viewing of the film series.
THE FLAT (BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY/BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON).
“Bridget in her bedroom in Bridget Jone’s Diary,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2001.
“Bridget in her living room in Bridget Jone’s Diary,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2001.
“Mark Darcy in Bridget’s living room in Bridget Jone’s Diary,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2001.
For the first three films, Bridget is shown in a charmingly disheveled London flat. With the carousel-ing colors of mint green, baby blue, bright red, and approximately 15 different shades of tan, Jones’ flat embodies the chaos of a 30-something desperately trying to make it through each day of her crazy little life. For the 2001 film, Bridget’s flat was designed by Gemma Jackson (Production Designer) and Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decorator). Jackson continued work on the films for the second movie, however, John Paul Kelly took her place on the third film, Bridget Jones’ Baby.
For both the 2001 film and the 2004 film, the set remained vastly the same. In the 2016 movie, however, Bridget’s home obtained some much-needed upgrades. Although Kelly chose to do away with the flamboyant wallpaper that plagued the first two films, the character’s cracker box angularity and ridiculously tight stairwell lead me to believe the intention of his design was to continue on her flat’s legacy.
The challenge presented to designers of long-running shows and movie franchises is to subtly reflect the growth and maturation of a character without losing the hallmarks that make them so beloved. In Bridget Jones’ Baby, Kelly designed the set to keep the familiar color palette of teal, soft pink, and peacock blue. Bridget’s maximalist style, paired with a lack of desire for order, produces the same hot-mess cozy vibe of the first two films.
THE FLAT (BRIDGET JONES’ BABY).
“Mark and Bridget in her living room in Bridget Jone’s Baby,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2016.
“Bridget at the stairwell in Bridget Jone’s Baby,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2016.
“Bridget in her living room in Bridget Jone’s Baby,” directed by Sharon Maguire, 2016.
At the end of the movie, the couple finally ties the knot and has their happily ever after, at least for a time. When the 2025 film was released, fans of the Mark and Bridget were hit with the heartbreaking news of Darcy’s unexpected death. The film picks up at the three-year anniversary of his passing with Bridget, her son, Billy, and her daughter, Mabel, all residing in the house previously made into a home. Kave Quinn, the production designer on the project, guided Architectural Digest through a tour of the film’s set, displaying the incredible care that went into every element of its design.
MARK AND BRIDGET’S HOME (BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY).
“Mark and Bridget’s kitchen and living room in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” Architectural Digest, 2025.
“Mark and Bridget’s kitchen and living room in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” Architectural Digest, 2025.
“Mark and Bridget’s kitchen and living room in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” Architectural Digest, 2025.
She intentionally designed the home to be a blend of the two characters in a unique way. At every turn of the set, Quinn went on to explain where Mark’s influence was displayed and where Bridget’s style shone through. As she began to explain each aspect of the set, Kave would express sentiments such as,
“…and then we’ve got like pictures which Mark may have brought in, like these Japanese prints,”
or
“Bridget has painted her [Mabel’s] bed… Mabel’s also painted a little bit on the floor with her mum.”
Quinn didn’t just design a set. She wrote the unwritten story of Mark and Bridget’s marriage. In flashback sequences throughout the film, we get to see the sweet traditions the couple established with the children before Mark’s death.
In a movie franchise mainly focusing on the love life and career trials of a single woman, the 2025 film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was faced with a particular challenge and opportunity. When Bridget had Billy, and, subsequently, married Mark in the third film, the audience was no longer watching a young woman in the city. They, instead, began walking the journey of becoming a mom and a wife with Jones. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy takes on the real-life struggles of balancing those identities. When talking about the set design, Zellweger stated,
“The chimerical qualities of that space, the living room and kitchen…just exemp(lify) the importance of her children in her life. It’s vibrant and alive, and it’s a fun place to be.”
The traditionalist tokens inspired by Mark’s reserved personality strategically splattered throughout the set remind the audience of the bittersweet duality of love and loss. In the children’s bedroom, Quinn designed the set to reflect the stark difference in the children’s personalities. Mabel has whimsy and color radiating from every inch of her space, whereas Billy’s things are much more orderly and cohesive.
From their first appearance on screen, it was obvious that the children were designed to reflect Mark and Bridget right back to the audience. In one of the first sequences of the film, Daniel has been summoned to take care of the little ones while Bridget goes to a dinner for the anniversary of Mark’s passing. When she arrives back home, he comments on the family by saying,
“Well, the girl is you. Lawless, romantic, irresistibly drawn to me…Billy is Darcy, isn’t he? Still waters and all that.”
While still retaining all his asinine bachelor ways, Cleaver’s character receives some much-needed redemption.
Although the purpose of some films’ sets is merely to provide a setting for the story’s telling, the home of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy adds so much depth and believability to the story that I would argue it was a character in its own right. In writing the novel, Fielding made a bold and chancy decision by including the passing of such a revered character. However, due to her raw and relatable storytelling style, Helen was able to highlight the realistic hardships so many people experience while keeping light-hearted humour on the mic at every turn.
Being a story originally written to highlight the trials of a young woman in London, following Bridget Jones quickly and beautifully turned into joining the life of a flawed, but adored, character through life, love, and loss.
Sources
Archer, Katie. “Where is Bridget Jones’ flat?” Yahoo Movies UK, 13 February 2025, https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/bridget-jones-flat-worth-visit-162342954.html. Accessed 6 May 2025.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32063050/?ref_=ttfc_ov. Accessed 6 May 2025.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025) | Transcript.” Scraps From the Loft, 17 Feburary 2025, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-transcript/. Accessed 6 May 2025.
“Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1473832/. Accessed 6 May 2025.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243155/. Accessed 6 May 2025.
“Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317198/. Accessed 6 May 2025.
Fallon, Jimmy. “Inside the Set of ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ | Set Tour | Architectural Digest.” YouTube, 14 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_nh9gsMbBM. Accessed 6 May 2025.
Kidron, Beeban, director. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. 2004. Universal Pictures/StudioCanal/Miramax Films/Working Title Films/Little Bird Limited, 2004. HBO Max, https://play.max.com/video/watch/f7b7b7d6-f73e-460e-8681-640cedecd841/80794e00-5820-4193-8982-f20ec692e0e7. Accessed 6 May 2025.
Maguire, Sharon, director. Bridget Jone’s Baby. 2016. Working Titles Films/Miramax Films/Universal Pictures/StudioCanal Films/Perfect World Pictures, 2016. HBO Max, https://play.max.com/video/watch/4e61bf53-47cd-48cc-af11-92e82b219621/e6328ebd-1fc7-4c6c-9931-b83e2e01b953. Accessed 6 May 2025.
Morris, Michael, director. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. 2025. Working Title Films/StudioCanal/Miramax Films, 2025. Peacock, https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/playback/vod/GMO_00000000245597_02_HDSDR/aa9b421d-4405-3d86-a923-95175246ec2e?paused=true. Accessed 6 May 2025.
Sharon, Maguire, director. Bridget Jones’s Diary. 2001. Miramax Films/Universal Pictures, 2001. HBO Max, https://play.max.com/video/watch/392fd44b-3c35-4d9c-9dd8-0838832827ac/32038982-4e17-45d8-867d-95ff22e1683e. Accessed 6 May 2025.
