Netflix has officially confirmed that Sex Education’s Simone Ashley will star opposite Jonathan Bailey in the next series of Bridgerton.

Below, Vogue breaks down all of the details about season two so far.

Will there be a Season 2 or ‘Bridgerton’?

Netflix confirmed Bridgerton season 2 on 21 January via a dispatch from Lady Whistledown.

“The Ton are abuzz with the latest gossip, and so it is my honour to impart to you: Bridgerton shall officially return for a second season,” reads the Society Paper.

“I do hope you have stored a bottle of ratafia for this most delightful occasion.” In terms of practical details, Whistledown shares that she “has been reliably informed that Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season”, before promising that she will have her pen “ready to report on any and all of his romantic activities”.

What hints are there about ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 in the original series?

One word: bees. Jonathan Bailey, who stars as Anthony, also gave British Vogue a sense of what to expect.

“I feel like the campy, plush spectacle of the Bridgerton world is only going to get more pronounced in the best way possible. It’s mad, and it’s brilliant. There are also going to be a lot of brilliant characters introduced in this series – and it’s not just Anthony that we’re going to delve into… The robust universe that’s been set up by Shonda and Chris will just expand, and keep pushing boundaries in a way that’s quietly subversive. There’s just going to be more of what everyone loves, I think. There’s loads of little Easter Eggs for all of the characters.”

Is ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 based on a book?

While the first series pulls heavily from Julia Quinn’s novel The Duke And I, the second will be inspired by The Viscount Who Loved Me, which centres on Anthony’s quest to find a wife during the 1814 season.

Like his sister Daphne, his journey to the altar is convoluted. More specifically, after the notoriously rakish bachelor proposes to the “diamond” of the season, Edwina, he finds himself at odds with her disapproving, wilful sister Katharine, until their verbal sparring turns into a mutual attraction.

Cue sparks flying, bosoms heaving, and yet more bees.

When is the release date for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2?

Filming will begin in spring 2021, but given the scale of the production, it may well be 2022 before Netflix releases the second Bridgerton instalment. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Is the Duke in Bridgerton Season 2?

For those who have failed to read their Lady Whistledown dispatches, the Duke of Hastings will be noticeably absent from season two of Bridgerton.

Netflix posted a wisteria-framed Instagram notice on 2 April that read: “While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings.

We’ll miss Simon’s presence on-screen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.” This proved almost too much to bear for much of the internet, with Rhimes herself even weighing in on the intensity of fans’ devastation.

“I was really shocked, because usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while,” the TV genius told Vanity Fair.

“Like, we didn’t kill him, he’s still alive… We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming.”

So, which cast members will return for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2?

As you might expect given the title of the series, all of the Bridgertons will appear in the next season, including Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor).

“Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear,” Netflix-as-Lady-Whistledown confirmed.

Given that the first season ended on a cliffhanger for the Featheringtons – namely, who now owns their estate – it’s reasonable to assume that Lady Featherington and her brood will also feature heavily, with Lady Whistledown keeping the Ton in check.

And who will join the cast for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2?

The biggest casting news so far is that Simone Ashley – aka Olivia Hanan on Netflix’s Sex Education – will appear as Anthony’s romantic sparring partner, Kate Sharma.

(Can you imagine what Dr Jean F Milburn would have to say to the Ton’s sexually repressed inhabitants?).

Originally named Katharine Sheffield in Julia Quinn’s novels, Ashley’s character has been reimagined for the Netflix adaptation, with Kate and her family being of Indian descent.

Charithra Chandran, meanwhile, will play her sister Edwina, who longs for a romantic match, and Shelley Conn will star as Sharma matriarch Lady Mary, whose marriage once scandalised polite society.

Rupert Young, on the other hand, will take a turn as Jack, an aristocrat who’s newly arrived in London and has connections to some of its most prominent families, and Calam Lynch will play working-class printer’s assistant Theo Sharpe, who has some refreshingly liberal political ideas.

Is there a trailer for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2?

No, please calm down.