Overmatter: Champion of print

Overmatter understands that Bridgerton, a drama involving gossip, intrigue and royalty that recently aired on Netflix, has proved really rather popular.

Printing industry viewers among its 82 million-household audience will no doubt have been intrigued by Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) and her Society Papers scandal sheet publication, which plays a central role in the drama.

As Fujifilm’s Mark Stephenson points out, how on earth was it funded? “I don’t see any ads, and it certainly gets typeset and printed very quickly, and then there’s the distribution…” he muses.

Indeed, how on earth was it produced? With Bridgerton set in 1835 the printers of the day would perhaps have found Lady Whistledown’s hot-off-the press, on-demand publication requirements something of a stretch.

Like millions of others, Overmatter is happy to suspend disbelief and gives a tip of an elegant beribboned bonnet to whoever was responsible for the production of the Society Papers during filming.

And with recent confirmation that Regency London gossip and shenanigans is set to return to our screens for a second series, it’s good to know there will be a further print run in the works.