Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan responds to fan scepticism of Colin and Penelope chemistry

But since its release, the new season has been met with a mixture of emotions from fans who have questioned where part 2 will go, how convincing Penelope and Luke's arc actually is, and have compared the new main character to former leads.

The Bridgerton universe is no stranger to criticism, with fans initially even questioning the chemistry between the pair from the onset of their series lead announcement.

So, what do the two lead actors say to those who may be doubting the Polin friends-to-lovers story?

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Coughlan said: "I had a realisation yesterday, actually, because the thing is, for the first two seasons, it was meant to be that she was puppy dog-eyed in love with this dude who had no clue. So, that was the dynamic."

Coughlan then said: "But then I was like, I feel like we were holding back our chemistry for two seasons because then, someone was like, 'How hard was it for you to work on chemistry?' I was like, 'Oh, we didn’t have to, it was just there.'"

Newton also agreed with Coughlan's sentiment, saying: "Yeah, yeah - everyone said, 'What did you do?'"

Coughlan added: "One of my friends says, 'You have an unsettling level of chemistry,' and I was like, 'Okay, I’ll take that.'"

Does she agree with it, though? "Having seen it now, I’m like 'yeah'," she admits.

The last we saw of Penelope and Colin, both were all flustered after a steamy encounter in Penelope's carriage. And when they turn up at the Bridgerton household, Colin surprises Penelope by asking for her hand in marriage.

Read more:

• Bridgerton boss promises “drama definitely notches up” in season 3 part 2
• Bridgerton boss is halfway through season 4 – and has a "map" for several more

The first half of the season slowly moved around the pair's feelings for each other, as we see Colin, back from his worldly travels, become enamoured with his friend after sharing a purposeful kiss.

While Penelope's being pursued by Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), his jealously only grows out of control, and in that fourth episode, Colin sets the Ton alight after he interrupts their dance to tell Penelope that she can't marry Debling.

But there's plenty more action to come, according to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell.

Of course, we cannot forget that while Penelope may be awash with all of these newfound lovey-dovey emotions, she's hiding a pretty major secret – a little hidden identity by the name of Lady Whistledown, of course.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com about what we can expect in season 4, Brownell confirms that the Whistledown drama will be a focal point. She explained: "The drama definitely notches up in the back half.

"I think Penelope’s secret is weighing really heavily over her, and I think you’re also going to see a lot more romance in the back half. You know, Pen and Colin are figuring things out, and there’s some time to just live in that for a bit."

It'll only make things that bit more tricky between Colin and Penelope, especially seeing as Colin has been especially perturbed by Whistledown's pamphlets, which have directly mentioned him and his loved ones.

Chatting about that Lady Whistledown thread in the new run, Newton also told us: "As much as he pretends he’s not, he’s most frustrated at her, which we always say, that [is the] underlying storyline which is most interesting. Because it couldn’t be a bigger obstacle to overcome between the two of them."

Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is now available to stream on Netflix, part 2 will then be released on Thursday 13th June. Seasons 1 and 2 are also streaming now on Netflix. You can buy the Bridgerton book series on Amazon.

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