Warning! This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 4, part 2.
Benedict and Sophie have gotten their happy ending in season 4 of Bridgerton, but life in Mayfair is still full of drama! A new Lady Whistledown is writing scandalous gossip, stirring up trouble for everyone.
The fourth season of Bridgerton ends with a surprising twist: Julie Andrews narrates a new Lady Whistledown column. This comes as a shock to both the characters in the show and the audience, especially since Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) had stepped down from writing the column earlier in the season with the Queen’s (Golda Rosheuvel) permission.
Penelope Featherington is stepping down as Lady Whistledown, but still believes in the importance of gossip as a source of information and a way for people without power to be heard. According to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell, this change will impact the show’s future storylines, particularly in seasons five and six. Brownell shared these insights with Netflix’s Tudum, explaining the reasoning behind revealing a new Lady Whistledown.
Since everyone knows Penelope is Whistledown – it’s easily found online – we couldn’t draw out that secret for very long. Now, we can focus on surprising the audience in new ways.
While the show Bridgerton has updated the historical setting of Regency London to be more diverse, it generally stuck to the storylines and couples from Julia Quinn’s original novels, with each Bridgerton sibling ultimately ending up with the partner they were always meant to have. However, this new Lady Whistledown mystery—the show’s creators haven’t revealed who’s writing it—is a significant change from the books.
The change in Lady Whistledown could significantly impact the romantic storylines of Eloise and Francesca in future seasons. While it’s unclear how much influence this new Whistledown will have, creator Jess Brownell has stated that introducing a new gossip writer wasn’t just about keeping the audience and London society in suspense.
Brownell explained that the show consistently focuses on the stories of working women, from Genevieve the dressmaker in season one to Penelope Featherington as Lady Whistledown and now Sophie the maid. This is important because during that time period, women had very limited choices and little control over their own lives.
She explained that by portraying women who actively sought to improve their lives, the show expanded the range of female experiences. With Sophie taking the lead, this season felt similar to shows like Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey, and it also allowed established working-class female characters, such as Mrs. Wilson (Geraldine Alexander) and Mrs. Varley (Lorraine Ashbourne), to share their perspectives.
As a huge fan of Bridgerton, I’m really excited to see where things go next. Yes, it’s a beautiful romance, but it’s also about so many different characters and their lives. Whoever is secretly writing those scandalous Whistledown papers is going to have a lot of influence over everyone when the new season starts – it’s going to be fascinating to watch how that power plays out!
All episodes of Bridgerton season 4 are streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.
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2026-02-26 18:08