Inside Bridgerton

Inside Bridgerton is the intimate behind-the-scenes story of the hit Shondaland series on Netflix, from Shondaland executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Full-colour and beautifully designed, Inside Bridgerton is the official book about the show, and includes never before seen photographs, first-hand accounts on casting, insight into the decisions behind the costumes and sets, directors' accounts on shooting your favourite scenes, and more from the creative minds that launched a cultural phenomenon. Shondaland executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers offer exclusive insights, and introduce you to the series writers, producers, directors, cast, crew and talented creatives who brought Julia Quinn's beloved novels to the screen. And I never knew that the ton existed: Austen wrote about a pastoral society where everyone is in relatively drab clothes and spent a lot of time in chapels and churches. SHONDA: Totally. And they recycled their dresses more. BETSY: Meanwhile, this was an amazing world of luxury and excess. And she had this crazy device of a gossip columnist, pulling the strings, which was such a cool concept. Julia Quinn created an entirely new, glamorous, bright world that you had actually never seen before. On Writing Compelling Characters: SHONDA: 'The two prevailing factors in every single one of our shows are that we create characters that people want to watch, and we put those characters in impossible situations and then watch them work their way out of them.' BETSY: 'One of the things I've always loved about the way you tell stories is that you make people invest in the characters-you force people get to know these characters as multi-dimensional people who might surprise them. We go on a real roller coaster through the seasons of Bridgerton.' Shonda Rhimes on Simon & the Importance of Leading Men: 'Finding the right leading man is the most important thing you can do. You want somebody who has layers, who can pull off complexity, who is a real actor. You don't want someone who is merely attractive, you need someone who has depth, commitment to character, and can bring something special to the camera.'