The first instalment of the Netflix hit certainly set viewers’ pulses racing
While its lavish aesthetic, gripping plot and talented cast were key to Bridgerton’s record-breaking success, a hefty dose of raciness no doubt added to its appeal. Now, fans can look forward to plenty more bodice ripping in the upcoming second season, according to one of its stars, Nicola Coughlan, aka Penelope Featherington.
Jonathan Bailey, who’ll be reprising his role as Anthony Bridgerton in the second series (and becoming the focal point of the plot), previously hinted that the show could be set to get even ‘sexier’. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight , Coughlan echoed this, stating: ‘The chemistry is quite major, I can say that… It’s got a whole lot spicier I will say.’
Coughlan also opened up about how delighted the cast and crew are with the 12 Emmy nominations Bridgerton has received, stating: ‘It was amazing! It was so exciting… It’s the biggest awards in television so to be recognised by them is phenomenal. We were all super excited. We [are] in the middle of filming Season 2 right now, so the new Season 2 group chat was going off. It’s called “Bridger-2”… I picked that name and felt very proud.’
She went on: ‘It’s such an exciting thing when you do a show that anyone watches and connects to. But the level at which people connected to Bridgerton and the scale is really mind blowing… I think we felt so much love from the fans of the show and support.’
Looking ahead to the next instalment, Coughlan revealed: ‘the book which this [upcoming] season is based on [The Viscount Who Loved Me] is like the big fan favourite… When you do Season 1, you don’t know if you’re going to get a Season 2, but we were like, “I really hope we get a chance to tell that story because people love it so much”… 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.’
Netflix’s hit period drama, adapted from Julia Quinn’s historical romance novel series, has already been given the green light for not just a second series, but Seasons 3 and 4 too. This comes as little surprise given that the Shondaland show caused something of a sensation following its Christmas day debut last winter, quickly breaking records after it was streamed by over 82 million households within just a month on the platform.
Tatler
Written by Hope Coke
Published September 16, 2021
