Bridgerton enthusiasts have just received another thrilling update about series five from Netflix.
Production is well underway on Bridgerton series five after Netflix recently announced that Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) would take centre stage in the show's first same-sex romance set during the Regency era, reports the Mirror.
The streaming giant has now revealed details of fresh faces joining the Ton for the upcoming instalment, which is anticipated to arrive in 2027.
Amongst the stars joining is British actress Gemma Knight Jones, who will portray Lady Elizabeth Ashworth.
Lady Ashworth has been characterised by Netflix's Tudum as "a member of high society who knows more than meets the eye".
Knight is arguably best recognised for appearing in Paramount+'s mafia drama MobLand as DC Mukasa.
Her credits also include EastEnders, Disney+'s Andor, Professor T, Torchwood and Going Dutch.
Meanwhile, Tega Alexander will take on the role of Christopher Anderson, who is described as "a mysterious bachelor whose surname is quite familiar to Bridgerton fans (and one beloved Bridgerton mama)".
The character appears likely to be connected to Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), though viewers will need to wait and discover.
Rising talent Alexander has previously featured in ITV's Red Eye and MobLand alongside Knight, yet Bridgerton will mark his most significant role to date. According to IMDb, the actor is next scheduled to appear in One Second After Another and Masc, both of which are currently in post-production.
Completing the cast is Jacqueline Boatswain as Helen Stirling, Michaela's delightful mother.
Veteran performer Boatswain's notable work encompasses portraying Mrs Bassinger in Grange Hill across 50 episodes and appearing as Patreesha St Rose in Shameless.
Boatswain has also featured in Wolfblood, Collateral, Cuckoo, Hollyoaks, After the Flood, and Carnival Row.
She's additionally taken on supporting parts in the likes of Red Dwarf, EastEnders, Life on Mars, Torchwood, Silk, Death in Paradise, amongst numerous other roles.
Netflix has yet to announce when the series will be broadcast, but the upcoming instalment will be loosely inspired by Julia Quinn's sixth Bridgerton novel, When He Was Wicked.
Following confirmation that Francesca and Michaela would be fronting season five of Bridgerton, stars Dodd and Baduza discussed taking on the beloved drama.
Baduza said: "[We're] super grateful and excited!" Her co-star Dodd elaborated: "When you spend so much time with a character, you genuinely do want them to be happy.
"So I am really looking forward to [Francesca] feeling like she deserves love."
Meanwhile, Bridgerton's showrunner Jess Brownell remarked: "It feels groundbreaking. Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We're not the first by any means.
"But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge."
Bridgerton season 4 is streaming on Netflix now
