Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. As a diarist, Bridget writes down the thoughts, feelings and frustrations that arise in her daily life. As a single woman in her thirties in London, Bridget faces pressure from her married friends and her parents' friends to settle down with a man and have children. Bridget is torn between wanting a conventional married lifestyle and relishing life as an independent woman focused on her career in publishing. Bridget struggles with self-control as she makes promises to herself about eating better, losing weight, developing inner poise, quitting smoking, drinking less, and not being attracted to men who mistreat her. After an affair with her boss, Daniel, that ends in the revelation that he has been seeing someone else, Bridget eventually starts seeing Mark, who is respectful and intimidated by Bridget's apparent disinterest in him. Bridget also gets caught up in the drama of her parents' separation, causing Bridget to realize she is at an age where she must take care of her parents rather than expect them to take care of her.
Mark Darcy
Mark Darcy is a highly regarded human-rights lawyer and recent divorcé. The son of family friends, Mark used to play with Bridget in the paddling pool together when they were kids. Upon seeing him at a family function in an argyle sweater vest and patterned socks, Bridget dismisses Mark as unsuitable to date. However, she later learns many people consider him one of London's most eligible bachelors. Toward the end of the book, Mark asks Bridget on a dinner date that she accidentally stands him up for, as she doesn't hear him ring while she is drying her hair. When Bridget's mother gets caught up in Julio's time-share scam, Mark goes to Portugal to track him down and see that he is brought to justice. The book ends with Mark revealing to Bridget that he went to so much effort to help her mother because he is in love with Bridget.
Jude
Jude is one of Bridget's best friends. Jude is in an on-and-off again relationship with Vile Richard, whom none of Jude's friends are keen on. In a bid to solve life's problems with the latest crazes, Jude is a reader of self-help books, whose wisdom she regularly shares with Bridget.
Tom
Tom is another of Bridget's best friends. A gay man, Tom jokingly calls himself "a hag-fag" because of his close friendships with straight women like Bridget. Bridget routinely goes to Tom for advice about relationships or to commiserate when something goes wrong. Tom has a slight bump on his nose that he corrects with a cosmetic procedure that leaves him looking bruised and battered until the wound heals.
Sharon
Sharon, or Shazzer, is another of Bridget's best friends. A no-nonsense feminist, Shazzer isn't shy about dismissing all men as chauvinists. Her usual dating advice to Bridget is to disregard men entirely. Bridget often calls Sharon when she wants to have a night on the town and drink a lot to snap out of her self-pitying.
Pam Jones
Pam Jones is Bridget's mother. After thirty-five years of marriage, she separates from Bridget's father to pursue a relationship with Julio (Julian), a Portuguese tour guide she meets on vacation. Bridget often envies her mother's ability to embrace life despite her advanced age, though Bridget recognizes that her mother tends to make selfish, unsympathetic decisions. Pam lands a job presenting a TV show called Suddenly Single, which sees her ask sensational, probing questions of people recently out of long-term relationships. Toward the end of the book, it comes out that Pam's partner Julio has been using Pam to con her acquaintances out of down payments on Portuguese time-share apartments. Despite the drama of her involvement in the criminal enterprise, Pam acts as if nothing is wrong and the whole thing has been a misunderstanding.
Bridget's Father
Bridget's father is a supportive, kindly man in his sixties. When his wife asks to separate, he obliges, moving into the Alconburys' granny flat in their garden. Bridget's father often calls Bridget for supportive conversations, sometimes in the middle of the night. Although he seems to start seeing a local widow at one point, Bridget's father hopes to reunite with Pam.
Jamie Jones
Jamie is Bridget's brother. Living away from home and in another city from Bridget, Jamie only enters the narrative a few times when Bridget contacts him over the phone. Jamie stays out of his parents' drama for the most part. At the end of the book, Jamie and his partner come home for Christmas, and Bridget notices that they are sleeping in separate rooms.
Daniel Cleaver
Daniel Cleaver is Bridget's boss at the publishing company. Early in the book, Daniel starts flirting with Bridget over the inter-office messaging system, calling her borderline misogynist pet names like "frigid cow" and commenting on the inappropriately short length of her skirt. Bridget notices his interest suddenly wanes whenever she makes herself available to him, so Bridget entices him with her "ice-queen" act, ignoring his messages and avoiding eye contact. Eventually the two start a relationship, which is mostly based on sex and staying in on weekends. By mid-summer, Bridget is upset with Daniel for not taking her away for a short holiday. Their relationship ends when Bridget catches him cheating with a woman named Suki, to whom he quickly becomes engaged. Daniel enters the narrative later when he phones Bridget while drunk and says he made a mistake and that he loves her.
Magda
Magda is a married friend of Bridget's who has two young children. While Bridget often envies Magda for living in a big house and not having a career outside of raising her children, Magda's would-be-perfect life proves more complicated when her husband Jeremy confesses to having a crush on a young woman. Magda tells Bridget she is lucky to not have anyone depend on her and not to be dependent on anyone but herself.
