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A bronze statue of beloved romcom heroine Bridget Jones was unveiled in London’s West End on Monday — and the ceremony delivered an unexpectedly sweary live-TV moment courtesy of cast member Sally Phillips.
The statue, revealed on 17 November in Leicester Square, joins an impressive line-up of cinematic icons already immortalised in bronze, including Harry Potter, Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins and Indiana Jones.
Leicester Square, which is home to four major cinemas and countless red-carpet premieres, has become an unofficial walking tour of British and Hollywood film history, with Bridget Jones now officially one of its leading ladies.
Phillips, who played Shazza in all four Bridget Jones films – including this year’s Mad About The Boy -introduced the cast during the ceremonial unveiling.
In BBC footage, she can be heard joking: ‘Everyone’s favourite rom com heroine, Bridget Jones — I think she [the statue] should have gone up before Paddington, what do you think?’
But as a BBC news commentator added context over her remarks, Phillips’ voice cut through again, this time saying, ‘Thank f***,’ prompting thestartled journalist to apologise for the language.
Phillips made the very Bridget-esque slip while introducing the cast at the unveiling (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)
Renee Zellweger was also in attendance (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The statue shows the iconic character holding the epononymous diary from the first film (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)
Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor from the most recent film in the franchise also made an appearance (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
The slip added a suitably Bridget-esque note of chaos to the otherwise wholesome event.
Author Helen Fielding, who created Bridget in a newspaper column before turning her into a global bestseller in 1996, revealed to the BBC that the statue features one of the character’s most iconic traits: her enormous ‘mummy pants.’
‘It’s got Renée’s head from the first movie and I think she’s wearing the mummy pants because she’s got a very flat stomach!’ Fielding laughed.
The giant knickers became legend when Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver spotted them mid-fumble in the first film and greeted them with: ‘Hello mummy.’
Fielding reflected on Bridget’s lasting power, saying it was ‘wonderful’ that a character who began so unassumingly has endured for nearly three decades and is now immortalised in Leicester Square.
The first movie was a huge hit in 2001 (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
Bridget continues to resonate, she said, because she embodies the gap ‘between how we feel we are supposed to be and how we really are inside,’ a feeling made even sharper for young women today navigating filtered perfection, body positivity pressures and social media scrutiny.
She added that it moves her when readers tell her that Bridget reassures them that simply being kind, resilient, good to their friends and ‘good enough’ matters more than how they present to the world.
What statues are in Leicester Square and where to find them
Batman: Perched on the roof of the Odeon cinema.
Laurel and Hardy: Balancing on top of a ticket booth.
Mary Poppins: Depicted in mid-air with her umbrella.
Paddington Bear: On a bench central in the gardens, eating a marmalade sandwich.
Bugs Bunny: Appearing from a flowerbed.
Gene Kelly: In his role from Singin’ in the Rain, swinging around a lamppost.
Mr. Bean: On a bench in the gardens.
Wonder Woman: Located on the side of a cinema building around the corner from the main square.
Indiana Jones: Found on the north terrace of the square.
Harry Potter: Central in the square, flying on a broomstick.
Charlie Chaplin: Located in the square, in the role of The Tramp.
William Shakespeare: A central statue in the Leicester Square Gardens.
Designed by London-based studio 3D Eye, the statue is now a permanent fixture in Leicester Square’s growing pantheon of cinematic greats.
Eric Fellner, co-chair of Working Title, the studio behind the films, told Deadline he was ‘over-excited,’ noting that Bridget is the square’s first ever romantic comedy character to be honoured.
Phillips (left) has also starred in all four films (Picture: Canal/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock)
‘Bridget’s a proper London heroine, and the idea of having her ever-present in a brilliant location in the centre of London is really exciting,’ he said.
Renée Zellweger, who has embodied Bridget Jones for more than twenty years, was among those attending the unveiling, alongside Fellner, Sally Phillips, and actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall, who competed for Bridget’s affections in the newest instalment, Mad About the Boy.
The statue will now form part of Leicester Square’s film trail, cementing Bridget Jones – big knickers and all – as one of London’s most cherished screen icons.
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