Two fan-favorite Bridgerton characters will be returning for the series’ upcoming fourth season.
During the Bridgerton Season of Love fan celebration held in London on Friday, Feb. 14, the cast confirmed that Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey, who previously led the series as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, will return for the upcoming season.
Season 4 will show the on-screen couple with their child, the Bridgerton team said during the event.
Kate and Anthony were the central couple in season 2 of the Netflix period series, as each installment features a different member of the high-society Bridgerton family as a main character, along with their love interest.
Ashley, 29, and Bailey, 36, also appeared in both parts of season 3, during which — spoiler — their characters decided to travel from the Bridgertons’ London residence to Kate’s hometown in India to welcome their baby.
The two actors have previously been candid about wanting to return to the Bridgerton world. During a press meeting at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco in June, Ashley said she and the Wicked star were keen to appear in the series’ fourth season.
“I really hope so,” she told reporters when asked about Anthony and Kate potentially making a return.
“Both Johnny and I, we adore our characters, Kate and Anthony, so much and their relationship and what they mean for the show,” she continued, adding, “I think we’ll do all we can with our schedules to make it work so that we can, hopefully.”
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Following the Season of Love fan event on Valentine’s Day, Netflix released the first photos from the upcoming fourth season, confirming that Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict, will step into the lead role as he falls in love with Yerin Ha’s Sophie.
In a sneak-peek clip shared by the streaming platform, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) declares the beginning of “another season,” and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) welcomes fans to the set.
A series of clips from upcoming episodes then play, showing Benedict and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) as they promenade; Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) having a sweet moment with her new son-in-law, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton); and Colin having his own sweet moment with his wife, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan).
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Also during the fan event, Thompson and Ha revealed to PEOPLE that neither of them sought out advice from previous leads — and they both have similar reasons as to why.
“I was tempted to ask,” Thompson, 36, said of consulting his predecessors, Bailey, Newton and Regé-Jean Page. “I was tempted and then I thought, no, I’m just gonna find out myself — how I want, how I feel, how it feels to me.”
His love interest Ha, 27, agreed, telling PEOPLE: “I kind of wanted to just feel this journey for myself and kind of figure out the wars on my own.”
Reflecting on how “personal” the role feels, Thompson said, “I think there could be an amazing book written about how everyone’s done it because it’s so personal. And it says so much about that person.
“That’s the beauty of the show,” he noted. “A different flavor [each season].”
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