From Bridgerton bed-breakers to royal romps slammed as ‘pornography’…how prim period dramas became TV’s sexiest shows

WITH their conservative costumes and restrictive social rules, you'd be forgiven for thinking people in the past shied away from sex.

However, if our favourite period dramas are anything to go by, the opposite was true, and corset-busting, steamy scenes of passion were rife behind closed doors.

This week we revealed the upcoming series of Bridgerton, which lands in May 16, promises to be the steamiest yet.

Fans of the Regency romp will be thrilled by the high-octane antics between their favourite characters – including lesbian romances, threesomes, and illicit affairs.

But that's not the only historical drama that's getting viewers hot under the stiffly-starched collar.

From orgies and solo sex to library romps, we take a closer look at the raunchiest scenes from our favourite period dramas.

Library romp to ‘self-love’

When Bridgerton first came out in 2020 it caused quite a stir with the hit Netflix series featuring lots of passion.

Set against the backdrop of the Regency era, the series follows the noble and powerful Bridgerton family and explores life in London's high society.

In series one, many of the sexy scenes took place between main characters Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and The Duke Of Hastings, a role given to Rege Jean-Page.

The pair's steamy scenes including oral sex in the library, outdoor romps in the rain, and – with the Duke's encouragement – Daphne also experiments with a little self-pleasure.

And, with more steamy sex scenes promised, Netflix’s original bodice-ripper has returned to its racy roots for series three.

Secret same-sex affairs

Set in the 1830s in Yorkshire, BBC period drama Gentleman Jack starred Suranne Jones as landowner and industrialist Anne Lister, documenting her secret same-sex affairs.

The second episode of the first series saw Anne trying to seduce Ann Walker – played by Sophie Rundle – with tales of her time in Paris.

As she lured Ann in, she said she was only in the French capital “to study anatomy”.

But a split second later, viewers saw Anne in bed with a naked woman in the midst of an explicit sex act, leaving them shocked.

Former Corrie star Suranne insisted the lesbian romps were more “intimate” and “tender” than other sex scenes, saying: “It’s the psychological, the intimacy, and the tenderness that we went for, so there were a lot of looks we could do that spoke volumes.”

Forbidden love

In this 2022 on-screen remake of the once-banned 1928 steamy D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Crown's Emma Corrin plays the lead character Lady Chatterley – a wealthy woman who is unhappy in her marriage.

She takes on a lover – a gamekeeper living on their estate, played by Jack O'Connell.

The pair embarks on an illicit affair, most notably having al fresco sex in a clearing in the woods.

Referring to the explicit action in the show, Jack said: “My nana can't see it, my mum can't see it, neither can my sister.

“I'd say anyone else is fair game.”

Hot & heavy orgies

Sky Atlantic's Mary and George came out earlier this month and stars Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers and Nicholas Galitzine as her son, George.

Based on a true story and set in the 1600s, Mary urged her son to become King James I of England's lover to gain power – and the drama features numerous hot and heavy orgies.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Nicholas said: "There was one day where we did about four sex scenes in one day.

“I was going from room to room meeting strangers and saying, 'Hi, I am Nick, nice to meet you. OK, this is the position we're going to be in.'”

‘Sex is a big part of our show’

Both Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult flashed the flesh as they took on the roles of Catherine, Empress of Russia, and Peter III of Russia in Hulu's mini-series, the Great.

The show is very loosely based on the rise to power of the Empress, set in the 18th century.

Speaking about the sex scenes, Elle told Entertainment Weekly: “We had an intimacy coordinator that was on set whenever we had those scenes, to make everyone feel good and make everything look real.

“She [Catherine] was very open and free and loved sex, so that's obviously something that I wanted to touch upon.”

Speaking to Refinery 29, Elle added: “Sex is a really big part of Catherine in the show. It’s her sexual awakening.

“Catherine was notorious for loving sex and being very comfortable with her sexuality and experimenting.”

‘Sexiest TV drama ever’

BBC drama Versailles was once dubbed the sexiest TV drama ever and focused on the life of Louis XIV, the King of France who tyrannically governed his empire from 1643-1715.

The extravagant and highly-sexed monarch is one of the longest-serving rulers in history and in the first ten episodes there were 23 scenes of sex or nudity.

One particularly graphic sex scene sees pregnant Madame de Montespan having sex with King Louis XIV.

She can be seen gritting her teeth and gripping the brass bed frame as the king thrusts away further down the bed.

‘Pure filth’

BBC2 Harlots tells the saucy tale of Georgian London’s booming sex industry in the 1700s and was quickly labeled ‘pure filth’ by viewers.

The show follows Margaret Wells, who runs a brothel and struggles to secure a better future for her daughters in an unpredictable environment.

Creator Moira Buffini revealed why the sex workers in the show keep their clothes on for the raunchy scenes but the clients get all their kit off, saying: “I think you can show a really characterful and dramatic sex scene without having two completely naked people.

“[Plus] we’re historically backed up by the fact that the Georgians didn’t like to take their clothes off because it was really hard to get them all back on again.

“And it was bloody cold in Georgian houses!”

Hugh Skinner played Sir George Howard, pictured with Charlotte Wells, played by Jessica Brown-Findlay