London, a recent Christmas.

Thirty-something, nine-stone-something, single girl Bridget Jones works for a publisher and spends her free time drinking with her mates - journalist Shazza, city-worker Jude, and ex-popstar  Tom - and despairing at her non-existent love life.

While visiting her parents Pam and Colin, she is introduced to handsome human-rights lawyer Mark Darcy, but  takes against him when she overhears him disparage her. 

At work, Bridget  begins an e-mail flirtation and then an affair with her boss, Daniel Cleaver, who claims that Mark Darcy once stole his fiancee.

Bridget runs into Mark at a number of social occasions, and perseveres in disliking him, a fact she reveals in her diary in which she records her daily weight, cigarette and alcohol  consumption. 

When Bridget discovers a naked woman in Daniel's flat, she dumps him and gets a job reporting for a current-affairs show called Sit Up Britain. 

Meanwhile, her mother Pam leaves Colin for a shopping-channel presenter. 

Bridget presents an item about a political refugee's trial, and scores a scoop when Mark, the refugee's lawyer, grants her an exclusive interview. 

She grows ever more attracted to Mark, especially  when he helps her prepare for a dinner  party. The evening is spoiled by the arrival of Daniel who's come to attempt a reconciliation with Bridget. 

The two men fight clumsily in the street. It turns out  that it was Daniel who stole Mark's wife  years before. 

By Christmas, Bridget is on the verge of revealing her feelings for  Mark when it is announced he is getting engaged to Natasha, a lawyer. 

Pam leaves  the shopping-channel presenter and is reconciled with Colin.

Just before Bridget  is about to embark on a mini-break to Paris with her friends, Mark shows up to confess his love to her, but leaves when he accidentally reads the negative diary entries about him. 

Bridget runs after him in her skimpy underwear; they kiss in the snow, a couple at last. (Source: Sight and Sound, April 2001)