Better mark the calendars, a Bridget Jones documentary is on the way

It's time to mark the calendars, because a Bridget Jones documentary is on the way.

The news comes as BBC Arts announced a year-long celebration of literature, with new programming across BBC TV, radio and online. In 2020, it will be 25 years since Bridget Jones made her first appearance - in a newspaper column detailing her rocky relationships with men, booze, fags….and knicker elastic. One of the defining figures of the 1990s, Helen Fielding’s brilliant comic creation was an instant cultural phenomenon. The description for the documentary Being Bridget reads:

"A generation of women saw themselves in Bridget’s funny, honest accounts of thirty-something life, balancing work, relationships and the expectations of family and friends. "Bridget Jones’ Diary coined some of the era’s buzz words, from 'sad singletons' to 'smug marrieds'. And it helped launch a new genre, termed 'chick lit'. "Now, a quarter of a century later, BBC Two celebrates Bridget Jones and the legacy of Helen Fielding’s character. "In the age of Fleabag and #MeToo, the film explores how Bridget’s story reflects changing attitudes to women - and the way their stories are told."

Being Bridget will feature interviews with author Helen Fielding, as well as the friends who inspired the original characters. There will also be some rarely-seen archive footage - and celebrity fans paying tribute to the iconic characters. Being Bridget is a BBC Studios Production. It was commissioned for BBC Arts and BBC Two by Mark Bell. Richard Bright is the Executive Producer.