It was in 1995 that a column detailing the ins and outs of the daily life of a single woman named Bridget Jones – age 32; weight nine stone, three pounds – first appeared in the British newspaper The Independent. The columns, written by Helen Fielding, quickly gained popularity thanks to the author’s creation of a flawed, funny, oftentimes insecure but independent woman. One who was obsessed with calorie-counting; the dos and don’ts of makeup and shaving; affairs of the heart and so on. Fielding went on to write two hugely successful novels featuring the character – Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason – both of which in turn went on to become very successful films.

Though it’s hard to believe, it’s been 12 years since The Edge of Reason was released (the first came out in 2001). But here is Bridget again, played of course by the irrepressible Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones’s Baby.

Bridget is obviously older, yet not necessarily any wiser. She has, surprisingly (or maybe not), broken up with the love of her life Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Now in her early 40s, she deals with her newfound single status by focusing on her job as TV news producer.

Yet, before long, she meets Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), a ridiculously handsome American. Sparks fly… things get intimate pretty fast and, before long, she falls pregnant. Yet, her relationship with Mark is not completely over leaving her with a rather awkward dilemma… which of the two men is the baby’s father?

This chapter in Bridget’s story explores the differences between what you imagine your life is going to be versus the reality of where you find yourself

When watching the first trailer released a few months ago, one striking thing was the feeling of elation it evoked at the appearance of an old friend. What is it about the character that makes her so beloved? “Bridget is eternally optimistic, self-effacing and finds humour whenever facing adversity,” says Zellweger about the character that has certainly defined her career. “Tenacious and determined, she will not be defeated. She’s perfectly imperfect, and that’s what people relate to in her.”

Producer Eric Fellner agrees. “Bridget is constitutionally optimistic and is able to take anything that is thrown at her life with a positive stride. She has a sense of humour that engages, and people love her because they identify with her travails. Bridget does everything with such great style and humour that it’s a pleasure to spend time with her. Whatever is thrown at her, she comes back stoic, solidly, and usually with a laugh.”

The returning Sharon Maguire, who directed the first film in the trilogy, opines that “One of the reasons the first film worked was not just because of the comedy but because people identified with Bridget’s fear of loneliness.

“It’s a universal fear, and one that’s still a prominent theme in the character’s journey. This is an integral point of access for the audience to empathise with Bridget. The universal undercurrent is that everyone is afraid of being lonely.”

Bridget has grown in the interim years between the second film and this one and, what was important for Maguire was that the film reflects the passage of time realistically.

Bridget is now an award-winning producer of a major news show. She has stopped smoking, cut down on the wine, doesn’t obsess so much about her weight and the ever-present self-help books have been replaced with political literature.

And yet, although she has matured in certain ways, Bridget maintains that wonderful awkwardness that has made her so appealing. “Everybody’s hoped for something and been disappointed. The way that Bridget manages to persevere—despite circumstances that might bring her down—inspires people,” says Zellweger. “She’s suffering the same things we all do and, especially in her private moments, you’re able to connect to her.”

“I like to think of it as a coming-of-age film that’s set at a later point in the character’s life,” concludes the actress. “As you go through life, you realise that there isn’t a point that you reach where you have it all figured out. This chapter in Bridget’s story explores the differences between what you imagine your life is going to be versus the reality of where you find yourself.”

Bridget Jones’s Baby co-stars Emma Thompson (who co-wrote the script with Fielding and Dan Mazar) as Bridget’s doctor, and Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones as her parents.