Bridgerton Finale Reveals New Mystery Around Lady Whistledown

Bridgerton fans, hold your hearts, Lady Whistledown is back, but this time it’s not Penelope Bridgerton anymore!

While Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) legitimately set down her feather as society’s main source of gossip in part two of season four of Bridgerton, someone new has come in to take her place as teased in the Netflix show’s finale.

Keep reading to learn why Penelope ends her column — and who may have picked up Lady Whistledown’s pen.

Speaking to TVLine, showrunner Jess Brownell said the series has “gone rogue” from the source material. “We get to create a genuine mystery now,” she explained. “Because it was in the books that Penelope was Whistledown, we never felt like we could really play with that mystery that much.”

Despite the change in authorship, Julie Andrews will continue as the voice of Lady Whistledown. Brownell noted that Andrews has subtly adjusted her performance to reflect the new writer.

“It’s a testament to what an incredible actor she is that she’s playing it in a slightly different way,” Brownell said. “Thats a real nod to the slightly different personality and M.O. of this new Whistledown going forward into Season 5.”

So, who is the new Lady Whistledown? Bridgerton hasn’t revealed the identity yet. Showrunner Jess Brownell teased in interviews (via Netflix Tudum) that this mystery is intentional and fresh—unlike Penelope’s reveal, which was book-accurate and easy to spoil online. Now, Brownell teases, “Now, we get to play with audience expectations.”by building real suspense.

And though the identity remains a mystery to fans, the “Bridgerton” bosses are not in the dark. “We know who Whistledown is, and we’re being very intentional about writing to that idea.”

Brownell said. “When we do eventually reveal who it is, I’m hopeful that people will be able to look back and go, ‘OK, they had a plan! They knew what they were doing!'”

So… who’s holding the pen? A familiar face? A servant? A secret mastermind?

Dearest reader, the game has only just begun.

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