Bridgerton star Jamie Beamish: 'People ask me when is Regé-Jean coming to Waterford?'

He may be rubbing shoulders with the A-listers in Bridgerton and Derry Girls, but Jamie Beamish is still happy to do his bit for theatre in his hometown 

The Waterford native starred as Nigel in the season of Bridgerton.

He may have played an aristocrat in one of the most talked about TV shows of recent years but one could never accuse Jamie Beamish of having notions. His Waterford accent remains proud and strong as he chats to me on Zoom from Calgary in Canada where he is on his final day of quarantine before beginning work on a new television series. Beamish is sporting a healthy beard and a friendly smile — he couldn’t look less like ‘nasty’ Nigel Berbrooke in Bridgerton, the loathsome and unwanted suitor to the show’s heroine, Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Dynevor.

Bridgerton, created by US television powerhouse Shonda Rhimes, became an instant phenomenon when it screened to a locked-down global audience on Netflix on Christmas Day — it recently received 12 Emmy nominations. For Beamish, who is based mainly in London but was spending time at home in Waterford, it was a surreal experience.