Odds On When Nicola Coughlan Will Quit Bridgerton

Warning: This article contains Bridgerton Season 3 and book series spoilers.

Bridgerton season three has had super-fans once again hooked to the goings on of the eight Bridgerton siblings.

The latest series of the Netflix megahit - which was split into two parts - has mostly covered a love story involving Nicola Coughlan's character Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton's Colin Bridgerton.

Part one concluded with a marriage proposal, and Bridgerton die-hards then had to wait four painfully-long weeks for the couple to tie the knot in part two.

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However, following the nuptials, it wasn't exactly the happy ever after that Penelope had dreamed of, as her alter-ego Lady Whistledown, the notorious local gossip columnist, caused plenty of conflict between the newlyweds.

Fortunately, it didn't ultimately come between the pair, as Colin rejected the chance to annul their union, and an epilogue scene revealed they have a newborn son, who becomes the new Lord Featherington.

While one new life was created, another perished as Penelope revealed she was retiring her alter-ego Lady Whistledown - who is voiced by Julie Andrews - and signed her gossip column "Penelope Bridgerton" for the first time.

In the finale, Julie's voice blended into Penelope's in a strong hint that she will now narrate the gossip column, which, at least, gives the character a reason to return for the next series.

Penelope's Swansong?

Nicola has already confirmed she will return for season four, which, agonisingly for die-hard fans, won't be released until 2026.

The Derry Girls star recently told TheWrap: "They’ve told us we’re back for Season 4, which is super lovely ... It’ll be exciting. "[We’ll] pop back and have some fun for sure."

However, the star admitted in May that she and Luke hadn't seen the season four scripts, adding: "We don't know anything about it".

One thing we know about season three is that it was based on Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the fourth of eight Bridgerton books penned by novelist Julia Quinn.

That was followed up by the fifth novel, To Sir Phillip, With Love.

Penelope is mentioned several times in the fifth book, but her mentions certainly dwindle compared to Julia's debut Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, and second Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, while Penelope also had plenty of coverage in The Viscount Who Loved Me.

As a result, this could mean Penelope's Bridgerton days might be up in season four. Nicola is 6/4 to have just one more series in the show, but will she definitely be back?

Nicola In It For The Long Haul?

Bridgerton, along with the Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls, has certainly helped put Nicola on the acting map.

She is now a huge star and mixed with Hollywood elites in the Barbie movie last year.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, and Nicola Coughlan in 'Derry Girls.' (Image: TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy)

While she appears to be confident of a Bridgerton season four return and is probably contracted given she is telling the media she will be back, we have seen successful stars poached by other projects before.

It looks unlikely, but it's 10/1 that the current third season is Nicola's last in the programme.

One more likely scenario would be for Nicola to reprise her role in season four and then continue onto at least series five.

The star is 2/1 to exit after Bridgerton's fifth series, and it's 4/1 that she makes it to season six, or later, before departing.

There are eight Bridgerton siblings and thus eight Bridgerton books, and it is expected that there will be eight series of the show, too.

Showrunner Jess Brownell previously told TVLine that bosses are "aiming for eight seasons," and producers "want every sibling to have their own season."

However, that running order is already slightly complex after the third season wasn't based on the third book, An Offer From A Gentleman. It instead skipped to the fourth novel in the series, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

If that order carries on and the sixth book, When He Was Wicked, is the fifth season, then Nicola may not return at all after series four because she only has single-figure mentions in that novel.

She is back on track in her seventh book, It's in His Kiss, but might that be too late for Penelope Bridgerton and her happy ever after?

We will have to wait patiently until 2026 to see the show's next chapter.