'Bridgerton' Star Nicola Coughlan Wanted Less-Scandalous Cut For Parents

Bridgerton stars are used to filming saucy scenes for their show ... but some of their parents don't really like them -- and one actress wanted to avoid the awkwardness.

Nicola Coughlan -- who stars as Lady Penelope on the hit Netflix show -- revealed on SiriusXM Hits 1 she didn't want her fam exposed to all the show's nudity ... so she demanded a less-scandalous cut of the show for her parents.

The way NC describes it ... her family's Irish Catholic and all of the sex and nudity in the show just isn't their vibe -- so, she wanted a tamer version her parents could still enjoy.

She included the wish in her contract ... and she says the editors made one for the Coughlan family to admit her work.

To be clear, the show still had a few intimate moments in it -- she says her costar Jonathan Bailey's backside shocked her mom -- but, she says her parents are super supportive and love the show now.

FWIW, this isn't the only project Nicola's tried to make family-friendly -- she also says she avoided showing her mom a scene in her new show "Big Mood" ... but, a talk show her mom attended ended up playing the steamy clip, foiling that plot.

"Bridgerton" is a massive success, of course ... with the first two seasons shattering records for the most-watched English-language series in the streamer's history.

Season 3 of "Bridgerton" comes out in two parts later this year ... with part one set for May 16 and the second part coming out June 13.