Ever since the curtain came down on Bridgerton’s third season, fans have been speculating about which member of the titular family will be taking centre stage when the show eventually returns to our screens.
Both Benedict and Francesca Bridgerton had storylines set up for them in the newest batch of episodes, with showrunner Jess Brownell initially remaining tight-lipped about which of them would be stepping into the spotlight for season four.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed by Netflix that the next series will be all about Luke Thompson’s character.
“Next season’s most compelling match will be unmasked,” Netflix said in a short teaser posted on social media. “Welcome to the marriage mart, Benedict.”
The end of the clip shows Luke out of character, hinting at a future “masquerade ball”.
Unfortunately, if Bridgerton devotees are hoping for a return to the ton any time soon, they might be in for disappointment.
Last month, Jess Brownell said: “We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language.
“And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace, we’re trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range.”
She added: “I’m really excited about what we’re writing. We’re toward the end with the writers room season, with the scripts. And I feel like it’s some of my best work and my writers room’s best work.
“We’ve just really gelled our collaboration, and we’re firing on all cylinders, so I can’t wait for fans to see what we have.”
All three seasons of Bridgerton, as well as its spin-off Queen Charlotte, are available to stream now on Netflix.