Thread by @Telegraph

Regé-Jean Page has announced he will not be returning for the second series of the Regency drama

#Bridgerton

telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/bridgerto…

Bridgerton has become a major hit for Netflix, who say it was watched by more than 63 million households within 28 days of its debut on Christmas Day 2020

What's your favourite period drama? 📺

Page explained to heartbroken fans that he had only ever intended to do a single year, with the producers pitching it to him as a "one-season arc."

He said: “I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on”

What next?

This upcoming series will focus on Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest child of the eponymous clan, and will draw on The Viscount Who Loved Me, the second novel in American author Julia Quinn’s popular series

In the book, the renowned rake Anthony enters the 1814 season determined to find a suitable wife. But the path to his intended, Edwina Sheffield, is blocked by her protective older sister, Kate.

A spirited conflict ensues. Anyone who has ever seen a romcom can guess the rest

There’s a load of Bridgerton backstory to unpack too, which centres on the late patriarch Edmund, who died of an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

This meant Anthony had to take over the viscounty at a young age, and left him with serious trauma and “daddy issues” to address

In the books the race to reveal Whistledown hots up once Lady Danbury offers a monetary reward for her identity.

We’ll likely get plenty more of this twisty plot, along with waspish commentary from Whistledown, and perhaps some flashbacks showing how she has maintained the ruse

What about pregnant Marina Thompson, married off to her dead lover’s brother?

There’s a continuation to her story in the novels, as a depressed Marina attempts to take her own life. However, the series might diverge from the source material to grant her a happier fate

Then there’s aspiring painter Benedict Bridgerton who attended bohemian orgies.

In the books he falls for the bastard daughter of an earl. But following scenes in which Benedict seems attracted to Henry Granville, viewers have been clamouring for him to pursue a gay relationship

Do you want Benedict Bridgerton to pursue a gay relationship? 🏳️‍🌈

On the Featherington side of the action, gambling addict Lord Featherington has apparently been murdered by vengeful bookies.

The estate has been inherited by someone outside the family. Who is it, and will it mean drama for this perennially unlucky bunch? (Of course it will)

We might venture further afield, too, since Colin Bridgerton – briefly engaged to Marina, secretly adored by Penelope – is off on his grand tour of Europe.

It might provide some welcome vicarious vacationing. An added bonus to this escapist watch