Watch the Sumptuous New Teaser for Bridgerton Season 2 Now

Netflix recently confirmed the release date of the long-awaited second season, making the announcement via a lighthearted video on its social media channels. Featuring a gang of Season 2 cast members, stars including Bailey, Ashley and Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), were shown reading aloud from a special message from Lady Whistledown, revealing that the beloved series will return on March 25.

Photo: Netflix

The first batch of Season 2 photos was previously posted to the Bridgerton social media accounts in September last year, with a caption in the voice of Lady Whistledown, reading: ‘Ask for more, and you shall receive, dear readers. Do enjoy an early view of what is to come this social season…’

Prior to the photos, Netflix released some special footage from the second series. A social media post announced the debut of the ‘exclusive clip’, revealing: ‘Dear readers, this author is most pleased to bring you a first glimpse into the upcoming social season, and even more delighted to introduce you to Miss Kate Sharma.’

Photo: Netflix

The video may be just a minute long, but that provides ample time to get a sense of Kate’s uncompromising, honest and witty character from her brief interaction with Anthony, as she chides him for regarding women ‘merely as chattels and breeding stock’; deems his opinion of himself ‘entirely too high’; and critiques his ‘horsemanship’; before finally bidding him a curt ‘good night’.

With the release date drawing ever nearer, excitement is reaching fever pitch. Read on for everything you need to know about Bridgerton Season 2.

There are a host of new cast additions, as well as some sad departures

Photo: Netflix

Fans were left bereft when news broke that one of the show’s shining lights, Regé-Jean Page, will not be returning to play the Duke of Hastings in Season 2. Back in April last year, posts to the official Bridgerton social media accounts made the announcement in the guise of a letter from Lady Whistledown. It read: ‘While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid farewell to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear.’

Page himself, who was honoured with an NAACP Image Award for his standout performance in the period drama, responded to the news with a touching Instagram post. Beside a picture of himself in costume on horseback, the actor wrote: ‘The ride of a life time. It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family – not just on screen, but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans – it’s all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing ❤️❤️❤️💫’.

Page spoke further about his exit from the series to Variety magazine, relating that Shondaland producers had set out a contract for a ‘one-season arc’, explaining: ‘I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.’ Page went on: ‘One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes… They come in knowing that, so you can tie people in emotional knots because they have that reassurance that we’re going to come out and we’re going to have the marriage and the baby.’ He added, however, that he has ‘nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe.’

Photo: Netflix

Yet fans will see many of their favorite characters reprising their roles, from Nicola Coughlan (who plays Penelope Featherington), to Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), who upped the excitement by posting a photograph of her alongside Lady Violet Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, in poses that would make James Bond proud. The image is captioned ‘Gearing up for season 2…’ and has since amassed over 100K likes on Twitter.

As for new cast additions, the aforementioned Simone Ashley, best known for her role in fellow Netflix show Sex Education, will play the female lead in the upcoming season. Netflix officially confirmed the news in February 2021, Tweeting: ‘Get ready to fall in love with Simone Ashley, who will play Kate in Season 2 of Bridgerton. Kate is a smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools – Anthony Bridgerton very much included.’ The Bridgerton account added: ‘Quite the juicy bit of gossip, dear readers… This author is certainly looking forward to many a column covering Miss Kate Sharma.’ Based on the character of Katharine Sheffield in Julia Quinn’s original Bridgerton novels, this on-screen counterpart is of Indian descent – in keeping with the show’s welcome, racially-diverse reimagining of Regency London.

Those who’ve watched 26-year-old Ashley on screen as Olivia Hanan, a member of the mean-girl clique in Sex Education, will know that romance, gossip and drama is familiar territory for the young actress. Now, however, she’ll be swapping miniskirts and mobile phones for corsets and embroidery, opposite Jonathan Bailey as the eldest Bridgerton brother, who’s set to become the focus of the action in the next series. She will also be joined by new cast members Charithra Chandran, Shelley Conn, Calam Lynch and Rupert Young.

What could happen next?

Photo: Netflix

Way back in January last year, Netflix UK shared a humorous Instagram post featuring a letter from Lady Whistledown, which read: ‘The ton are abuzz with the latest gossip, and so it is my honour to impart to you: Bridgerton shall officially return for a second season. I do hope you have stored a bottle of ratafia for this most delightful occasion.

‘This author has been reliably informed that Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season. I will have my pen to report on any and all of his romantic activities.’

While a few plot lines were brought to a satisfying conclusion in Season 1 , there are still a number of loose ends to be tied up. And not forgetting Lady Whistledown’s (voiced by Julie Andrews) cryptic sign off at the end of the first series, with the tantalizing words: ‘Of course, there are other endings that will offer new beginnings.’

There are eight of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels to work from, with Season 1 only really having covered the first instalment, The Duke and I. The next book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, shifts the focus from Daphne to her elder brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathon Bailey). So while his adventures – and misadventures – in love have already been touched upon, viewers can expect a more in-depth exploration of Anthony’s journey in the next season (including his romance with Kate Sharma).

Photo: Netflix

What have cast and crew members said about Season 2?

Phoebe Dynevor, who stars as Daphne Bridgerton in the first season, said in an interview, ‘If we’re sticking to the books, it’s sort of Anthony’s turn now… And also, I’d like to see Daphne get involved in Anthony’s love life since he was so involved in hers.’

The outgoing Regé-Jean Page also told OprahMag.com: ‘I think there are a lot of good stories to be told in this [the Bridgerton] world. There’s a plethora of characters and each of those characters has cousins, uncles, and dogs, and I think people enjoy exploring all of those depths and nooks and crannies.’

Nicola Coughlan has previously spoken about her excitement at the idea of another instalment, stating: ‘I’d love to go on that journey with her [Penelope], to see how she’s changed. I’d really love to come back because I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface. And because there’s such a huge cast in this show, there’s so much more of all the characters.’ She has since added that ‘the book which this [upcoming] season is based on is like the big fan favourite’, noting: ‘I think there’s also the fun of a second season that you don’t have to do the exposition in order to be like, “This is the world of Bridgerton.” People get what Bridgerton is now, and it’s become this phenomenon, which is bonkers.’ She also teased that the new season is set to get ‘a whole lot spicier’.

Showrunner Chris Van Dusen teased the prospect of future series before the news was made official, telling Cosmopolitan : ‘We know there are eight Bridgerton siblings [and] there are eight Bridgerton books… I would love to be able to explore love stories and romances for all the Bridgerton brothers and sisters, of course.’ He also told Collider.com: ‘I think we’ve done some work in season one to set up other characters. We really dig into Anthony’s love story. We’re really exploring Benedict as well, and Colin, and Eloise’s relationship. I think it’s a deep well of story for us to explore.’

When will the next series air?

Although there were some setbacks and delays in production due to the pandemic (including Covid outbreaks among the cast and crew), it has now been confirmed that fans can expect Bridgerton Season 2 to make its debut on March 25, 2022.

Photo: Netflix

Originally published in Tatler.com