Bridgerton’s infamous steamiest ever scene was added on purpose as a ‘f**k you’ moment

Bridgerton has built a reputation for its outrageously spicy scenes, but one of the show’s most talked-about moments apparently happened because the team deliberately leaned into the heat.

When season three finally brought together Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, the moment we’d been waiting years for arrived in the now-iconic carriage scene, where Colin confesses his love before things get very steamy in the back of the carriage.

Netflix

This season, the show has essentially doubled down on that energy, with version two of the infamous carriage moment. As it turns out, the push to make some of the show’s boldest scenes even more daring wasn’t accidental.

In a recent interview with Elle, Nicola revealed the fallout of the infamous season three sex scenes: “You know what was really bizarre was, when I was shooting that series, I was exercising a lot because I knew I had to, so I had lost a bunch of weight – I was probably a size 10 and one of the corsets was a size 8.

“And then people talked about how I was plus size and I was like, ‘How f*cked are we that I am the biggest woman you want to see on screen?’ I remember this really drunk girl once talking to me in a bathroom being like, ‘I loved [Bridgerton] because of your body.’ And started talking about my body, and I was like, ‘I want to die. I hate this so much…’

“It’s really hard when you work on something for months and months of your life, you don’t see your family, you really dedicate yourself and then it comes down to what you look like – it’s so f*cking boring.”

Netflix

Talking to Stylist, Nicola Coughlan revealed she actually requested that one of the show’s most revealing scenes be filmed in a very specific way, and asked to be “very naked” on camera.

According to her, the moment was deliberately included as a response to the constant commentary around bodies and nudity in the series.

“There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice,” she said. “It just felt like the biggest ‘f**k you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body.”

Most Read

Wait, why are there two Lord Penwoods in Bridgerton?! Here’s the succession explained

Uh oh! The first Love Island All Stars 2026 couple have already called time on their relationship

Zendaya and Tom Holland ‘wedding photo’ emerges after stylist claims they are ‘married’

The show worked closely with its intimacy coordinator when filming the scenes, which are known for being choreographed just as carefully as any action sequence.

Despite how polished the final scenes look on screen, filming them apparently involved some very unglamorous wardrobe details. The actors wore modesty garments during filming, including what Luke Newton jokingly described as a protective “cup”, which Coughlan nicknamed the “panini” because of how wide it looked.

Netflix

She said her own modesty wear was even smaller, describing it as essentially “a triangle that covers the bare essentials”.

By the end of filming, though, the pair had become so used to the situation that they were far less awkward about it.

After finishing one particularly intense scene, they were so comfortable around each other that they ended up lounging around between takes with very little concern about the wardrobe situation.

“It is a testament to the fact that we just got to a point where we were so comfortable together,” she said, explaining that after shooting one of the show’s biggest sex scenes they mostly just felt relieved.

Considering how famous Bridgerton has become for its dramatic romance and increasingly viral spicy moments, it’s safe to say the Penelope and Colin’s legacy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Netflix