Bridgerton fans shocked to realise Lady Violet was Tracy Beaker's mum 😲
Turns out Carly Beaker was a famous movie star! ✌
Last updated 8th Jul 2022
Bridgerton is the TV show on everybody's minds right now, after series two dropped on Netflix earlier this month! And as fans of the hit show binge through all of the new episodes, viewers have just made a HUGE realisation.
Remember children's TV show Tracy Beaker? Of course you do!
Well, if you watched the classic show, which made a comeback with main actress Dani Harmer back in 2021, you'll be aware Tracy Beaker used to brag that her biological mum Carly Beaker was a famous movie star.
And it turns out she's not wrong, as fans of Bridgerton have only just realised actress Ruth Gemmell, who plays the iconic role of Lady Violet Bridgerton, was the same actress who played Tracy Beaker's mum!
One wrote: 'every time i see lady bridgerton i just think of tracy beaker’s mum 😠#bridgerton'. (sic)
Another added: 'Finding out that the Bridgerton mum is also Tracy Beaker’s mum in the Tracy Beaker movie has just blown my mind', with a third writing: 'No way is Lady Bridgerton, Tracy Beaker’s mum'.
Another shocked fan wrote: 'I can't see Ruth Gemmell as anyone else other than Tracy Beakers mum in the Tracy Beaker movie 😂 #Bridgerton #bridgertonnetflix #tracybeaker'. (sic)
A fifth added: 'Ok I’ve just discovered Tracy Beaker’s mum is also Lady Violet Bridgerton. I knew I recognised her!'. (sic)
Another commented: 'I absolutely LOVED #Bridgerton on Netflix but I could not see Lady Violet Bridgerton as anyone but Tracy Beaker’s mum - she really was a famous actress after all.'
As well as appearing in 2004 movie Tracy Beaker's The Movie of Me, actress Ruth also starred as Tracy's mum Carly when the popular show made a revival in 2021, with the title My Mum Tracy Beaker.
Meanwhile, Ruth plays the role of Lady Violet Bridgerton in Netflix show Bridgerton, joining the cast back in series one.
Check out which TV shows we'd love to see back on our screens:
Footballers' Wives
Broadcasting between 2002-2006, Footballers' Wives followed fictional Premier League football club Earls Park, as well as all of the drama from both the players and their fiery wives! In October 2025, Gary Lucy, who played Kyle Pascoe in the series, said: "We're trying to bring it back but it might be in a slightly different format. I can't say too much about it. But I won't be a footballer in it, I'm too old for that. But in some capacity, yes I'll be in it, definitely."
Bad Girls
Set inside a fictional women's prison, Bad Girls aired on ITV between 1996-2006 and featured some very famous faces, including Claire King and Debra Stephenson.
Benidorm
Airing for a huge 10 series between 2007 and 2018, ITV/STV sitcom Benidorm was a huge hit with fans. Ever since the show ended, fans have been begging creator Derren Litten to create more, with rumours rife in April 2025 that bosses are considering maybe bringing the show back.
Fat Friends
Written by Kay Mellor, sitcom Fat Friends aired between 2000-2005, following a group of friends who attend a slimming club together, with a focus on the various ways their weight has impacted upon them. Over the four series, huge stars appeared including Ruth Jones, James Corden, Lisa Riley, Alison Steadman, Jason Merrells and Lydna Barron.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
ER
Running between 1994-2009, medical drama ER starred actors such as George Clooney, Julianna Margulies and Noah Wyle, along with Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini and Angela Bassett. ER was set in a Chicago hospital called Cook County General Hospital, in particular their Emergency Department, following the personal and professional lives of the staff and patients.
Friends
Six friends, 10 seasons, and 236 episodes, sitcom Friends will go down in history as being one of the biggest ever TV shows to exist. Airing between September 1994 and May 2004, the final ever episode received a staggering 52.5 million viewers in America alone! Starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, Friends was given a reunion special in 2021, with all six members re-living the best moments from the show.
Don't Try This At Home
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch
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Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty first landed here in the UK in January 2007, going on to have four hugely successful series. The show, which featured actress America Ferrera, followed a character called Betty Suarez, who despite her lack of 'style', landed a job at a very prestigious fashion magazine.
Where The Heart Is
The British drama, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families. Where The Heart is had a stellar cast, including Lesley Dunlop, Christian Cooke and Sarah Lancashire.
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn't quite take off!
The Queen's Nose
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Gossip Girl
Although Gossip Girl was given a reboot in 2021 with a brand new cast, it didn't live up to expectations of the original series, which aired between 2007-2012. The original series kick-started the careers of the likes of Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley.
Lost
Despite its marmite ending, Lost was one of the biggest TV shows around when it aired between 2004-2010. The hit series follows the survivors of a fictional crash of airline Oceanic Flight 815, as they are stranded on a tropical island and forced to work together in order to survive.
The Inbetweeners
Although it's hard to believe, Channel 4 sitcom The Inbetweeners actually last aired way back in 2010! With continuous talk of a reunion over the last decade, we'd love to see the return of Will MacKenzie, Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland and Jay Cartwright.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
We'd love to see Will Smith get back into his character alongside Carlton Banks, however we got the next best thing in 2022, with the Fresh Prince reboot called Bel Air, where Jabari Banks played Will Smith.
The Big Bang Theory
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Skins
Running for seven series between 2007-2013, British teen drama Skins followed a group of teenagers in Bristol as they navigated their time through sixth form. With each episode focussing on a different character, the cast was made-up of some huge names, including the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, Jack O'Connell, Luke Pasqualino and Hannah Murray.
My Name Is Earl
With a total of 96 episodes, American sitcom My Name Is Earl was loved by fans. Featuring Jason Lee as the main character, small-time crook Earl Hickey, the show follows him as his life changes after he wins $100,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. The show first aired on 20th September 2005, with the final episode landing on 14th May 2009.
Wild At Heart
Filmed in South Africa, drama series Wild At Heart aired for seven series between 2006-2012. The show, which featured the likes of Stephen Tompkinson, Dawn Steele, Lucy-Jo Hudson, Amanda Holden and Deon Stewardson, and followed a vet and his family as they emigrate from Bristol to South Africa, where they attempt to rehabilitate a game reserve for wild animals.
London's Burning
Airing between 1988 and 2002, London's Burning documented the lives of a fictional London Fire Brigade Blue Watch at the fictional Blackwall fire station.
MIND = BLOWN!
Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix now.
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