5 raunchy period dramas to binge while we wait for Bridgerton S3

If you're as much of a Bridgerton fan as we are, and absolutely devoured Netflix’s wonderful new series all about intrigue, gossip, ball-gowns and raunchy sex scenes, then perhaps you’re finding yourself a bit bereft, and at odds at what to do while you wait for season three.

Never fear though — we’ve created the perfect list of period dramas which are both equally entertaining and saucy.

Outlander

After serving as a British Army nurse in World War II, Claire Randall is enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland with husband Frank. Suddenly, Claire is transported to 1743 and into a mysterious world where her freedom and life are threatened. To survive, she marries Jamie Fraser, a strapping Scots warrior with a complicated past and a disarming sense of humour. A passionate relationship ensues, and Claire is caught between two vastly different men in two inharmonious lives. 

While there’s no denying that the romance scenes in Outlander leave very little to the imagination, this is a far grittier show than Bridgerton, not for the faint hearted.

The Great

The Great is a genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th-century Russia following the wildly comedic rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great. It also features full-nudity sex scenes which are sure to make you blush.

The Tudors

This sexy drama focuses on the early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40-year reign (1509-1547) of England. The series looks at Henry's famous female companions like Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and delves into his relationships with important figures like Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey (head of the Catholic Church of England during its break with Rome) and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who was Henry's best friend and unofficial adviser.

Gentleman Jack

It's 1832 in West Yorkshire, England — the cradle of the evolving Industrial Revolution — where landowner Anne Lister is determined to save her faded ancestral home, Shibden Hall, even if it means bucking society's expectations. In addition to reopening the coal mines, a part of Lister's plan to help her family is to marry well. But the charismatic, single-minded Lister — who dresses head-to-toe in black and charms her way into high society — has no intention of marrying a man.

Gentleman Jack examines Lister’s simmering queer relationship with her would-be wife, a theme which is rarely seen in period pieces.

Harlots

In this drama set in 18th century London, Samantha Morton stars as Margaret Wells, a brothel owner and mother to two daughters, Charlotte and Lucy. When Margaret's business is attacked by Lydia Quigley, a ruthless rival madam, a war breaks out over the city's most profitable commercial activity — sex. Margaret is determined to fight back and protect her business, even if it puts everything else at risk, including her family.