Will Kate and Anthony return for Season 5?

With Season 5 over halfway through filming there still has not been an official cast list released by Netflix, though Shondaland and Netflix have announced three new cast members. Some other cast members, such as Hugh Sachs, Emma Naomi, Ruth Gemmell and Claudia Jessie have been sighted at filming locations in London by fans, and Nicola Coughlan has been able to officially confirm her return. Despite these sightings, and the confirmation from Nicola of her return, there has been no such indication that the Viscount and Viscountess will be returning for the fifth season. Prior to season 4 there was a similar silence around just the return of Simone Ashley (Kate Bridgerton) and it took Simone herself having to confirm she would return in an interview, but for season 5 there has not only been silence from Netflix and Shondaland, but also less definitive responses from Simone Ashley when asked. Jonathan Bailey has not spoken on any potential return this year either.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Both Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey have continually reiterated their commitment to Bridgerton, and the characters of Kate and Anthony Bridgerton, when asked however, neither have stated if they are returning for season 5 as yet. The speculation of Kate and Anthony’s return began among a small group of Bridgerton fans in April after Simone Ashley appeared on The Louis Theroux Podcast where Simone indicated that she had (at the time of recording) not received a script for season 5, despite filming already being underway. The speculation has intensified after a recent interview with Refinery29 Australia where Simone was again non-committal about her potential return for season 5, saying that “Bridgerton will always feel like home…” and that she is “grateful for everything it’s given me, and for the audience who’ve embraced Kate so wholeheartedly.” Simone went on to say that she loves seeing where the story goes each season. For many fans this sounded final, and as a confirmation she will not be returning to the show, and with no indication that she has been on set for season 5 her departure from the show, however unwillingly, appears highly likely. Some in the fandom have suggested that Simone may not be allowed to say if she is returning, which seems odd when Nicola has openly stated she is returning, as have the season 4 leads Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha.

If Kate and Anthony are not returning then Bridgerton will again be under the spotlight for their optics, especially if they keep Violet and the unmarried children living in Bridgerton House.  These optics were touched on in my post last week which you can read here, however, to reiterate the message, it is not a good look for the production to continue having Violet - a white woman - running Kate’s household. But adding to those optics is the way that the show has treated the introduction, and integration, of Eliott versus Edmund. Elliott was first seen at the end of season 3, then again in season 4, and it is speculated that Elliott will be joined by a sibling in season 5, however, we have only seen Edmund in season 4, and if Kate and Anthony are not in season 5 then we will not be seeing him again, nor any of his siblings. This is part of a pattern the production have shown with regards to the only South Asian lead, and now a mixed South Asian child, and for a production that craves continual praise for its diverse casting to write out the darker skinned Viscountess and her mixed South Asian child, but continue to keep her white in-laws in her home the optics look worse than ever as the pattern emerges.  

Image Credit: Netflix

So will Kate and Anthony be back? It is unclear, and cannot be said one way or another with any degree of confidence, but all signs are suggesting that at the very least Kate will not be returning, there is still the possibility that Anthony may do so without his wife and child. However, perhaps we should not be focussed on if Kate and Anthony will return, but how will the production continue to have Bridgerton House at its centre without the Viscount and Viscountess?

Netflix did not respond to a request for comment on whether Kate and Anthony would be returning.   

Throwback Thursday: Netflix Erasure of Kate Bridgerton with "Just Anthony" highlighted

This post was originally posted on 7 September 2025

Netflix have not responded to any requests for comment on this post.  

On 29 August this article was published on the Netflix Tudum site celebrating Jonathan Bailey's best moments as Anthony Bridgerton, including three moments from season 2 that included his onscreen love interest played by Simone Ashley.  The fact that these three moments were included, yet in the introductory paragraph Simone Ashley, and her character Kate Bridgerton (formerly Sharma) was not mentioned. Of itself it is not egregious considering that the article was about Jonathan Bailey, but the author included mention of Simon and Daphne, and Penelope and Colin, so that when it came to season 2 the author referred to "just Anthony Bridgerton" the exclusion of Kate (and Simone Ashley) was obvious, and seemed very deliberate.  The author clearly framed the season 1 and season 3 leads as equal in their stories, but for the season 2 protagonists the author dismissed Kate's importance to Anthony's story and love story.  That she eventually included Kate in a later paragraph does not redeem the author, but rather reinforces that the author - and by extension Netflix - does not value Kate's (and Simone's) contribution to the story of season 2, with Kate being mentioned almost as an afterthought.  

Screenshot of Netflix Tudum Article

If this was a one off situation then it probably would not have garnered quite the same notice in the fandom, but the exclusion of Kate as a character, and Simone Ashley as an actress, is an ongoing issue with both Netflix and Shondaland, leading many to believe that both Netflix and Shondaland have (at best) a problem with Kate (or Simone), or (at worst) have an active dislike of - or contempt for - Kate as a character (or Simone as an actress). Neither perception is good for Netflix or Shondaland. To continually exclude Kate from articles on Bridgerton, especially when directly connected to Anthony, and to continually exclude Simone Ashley from promotional materials, makes their claims of diversity and representation ring hollow, she is after all the Viscountess Bridgerton and was the season 2 lead. The continual exclusion of Simone Ashley (and Kate) from promotional content reinforces the perception that neither Netflix nor Shondaland prioritise representation of women of colour, or specifically the representation of South Asian women of colour. But worse, the continual exclusion of her by Netflix and Shondaland leads to other media outlets excluding her - or at least diminishing her importance in the show when compared to white counterparts. 

Image Credit: Netflix

One example is this article by gossip site Just Jared, where they are discussing the returning and new cast for Bridgerton season 4. In this we see that of the main cast members returning Kate is the only one that does not have a character description from Netflix, suggesting that Netflix does not care enough about Kate to include a character description for her. It should also be noted that there is no surname for the character of Kate provided, whilst the other returning leads (who are all white), have surnames listed for their characters. What does this say about how Netflix views the first women of colour lead in Bridgerton? Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern and three times is a choice, and to exclude, or diminish, the only dark skinned South Asian lead in Bridgerton is a choice that Netflix make over and over again. In doing this Netflix, and Shondaland, continually alienate and anger fans, most women of colour and many of South Asian heritage, they are telling these fans that they are not important, and that for them the South Asian representation is not important, further it tells everyone that Netflix prioritises white characters, and white stories over that of South Asians, meanwhile they will still use their South Asian Viscountess in promotion to entice those fans. Netflix's actions suggest that for them representation is superficial and meaningless. 

Image Credit: Netflix

The appeal of Bridgerton is the love stories, but you cannot have a love story with only one partner, so to omit one of the two partners in a love story diminishes the growth of both partners in the story. In the opening paragraph of the Tudum article, the author not only erased Kate as being important to the season 2 love story, but diminshed Anthony's arc by lessening the contribution of his screen partner, something she did not do for other lead couples. The fact that Kate is played by a dark skinned South Asian woman indicates a wider issue where women of colour - particularly dark skinned women of colour - are treated as incidental in the storytelling rather than essential to it, something that we see over and over when it comes to Kate Bridgerton. 

Image Credit: Netflix

The author's wording may have been intended as a clever way to show that Jonathan Bailey's performance as Anthony was the focus of the article, it did not come across that way to many reading the article. By referencing the season 1 and season 3 couple as a pair, each equal in their stories, the "just Anthony" line worked more to suggest that Simone Ashley's portrayal of Kate was unimportant in Anthony's story. We cannot talk about Jonathan Bailey's portrayal of Anthony without discussing Simone Ashley's portrayal of Kate, but this is what Netflix did, and has done, while using Kate (and Simone Ashley) to promote to the demographic that she represents, which diminshes the claims of diversity and representation in Bridgerton by Netflix and Shondaland. 

As a result of the backlash of this article Netflix Tudum updated their article, however, instead of updating the article with the inclusion of Kate Bridgerton (Simone Ashley) in the first paragraph they have merely removed the writer's name and given the byline to 'Tudum Staff'.  While I understand that this was potentially done to protect the writer from harassment, (I understand some fans have posted her linkedIn details and have said they contacted her through that), I believe that this has made Netflix look worse. I am not saying the writer deserves harassment because she does not, however, by removing her name and replacing it with a generic 'Tudum Staff' Netflix have made it appear that Netflix are protecting a white (or lighter skinned) woman whilst still diminishing and erasing a darker skinned woman of colour. 

I am not saying Netflix were wrong in trying to protect a freelance writer that does work for them, but if they listened enough to understand fans were angry with the writer why not fix their glaring omission in the first paragraph? As it stands Netflix have still tried to erase, and diminish, a woman of colour in an article where White women are given equal standing to their screen partners.  Netflix need to do better. 

Note: I requested comment on this article from both the author of the article and Netflix, neither have responded. 

Why Violet should finally move into a Dower House in Season 5

Within aristocratic families the transition from one titleholder to the next could be messy and complicated, or simple and accompanied by symbolic gestures. One such gesture is the Dowager moving out of the main estate residence into a dower house, thus making way for the wife of the new titleholder to step up into her role within the household. Moving into a dower house allowed a Dowager to retain her position in society whilst also symbolising the passing from one generation to the next and the transition of power within the household. Season 5 offers an ideal opportunity for Bridgerton to bring this tradition into the core of its storytelling through Violet moving out of Bridgerton House into a dower house. Not only would this adhere to historical convention, it would also provide the production the opportunity to solve a growing narrative issue with the absence of Anthony and Kate.  

Image Credit: Netflix

A dower house is a residence separate to the main estate properties that was occupied by the Dowager. The residence allowed the Dowager to maintain her own household whilst not impinging on the wife of the new title holder. The timing of a Dowager's move would depend on the status of the new heir, if he was unmarried at the time of inheritance she may remain at the main family home until he married, however, if the heir was married then she would move soon after he inherited. The move to the dower house was symbolic of the transition within the family, and an outward acknowledgement that the Dowager no longer was the authority within the main household.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Within the world of Bridgerton it was right that Violet initially remained in the main homes of Aubrey Hall and Bridgerton House as Anthony was young and unmarried when he inherited. Now that Anthony has married, and has started his own family with Kate, Violet should have moved into a dower house, however, at the end of season 4 this still had not happened. 

By not moving Violet into a dower house, the show has failed to visually represent the transition from Violet to Kate being the Viscountess. By rights this should have happened in season 3, with the final episode being the ideal moment, however, the show has continued on as if Anthony never married, with Violet continuing to be the Viscountess. For a show that normally utilises visual storytelling well this was a missed opportunity to establish that the production recognises Kate as the Viscountess, a Bridgerton, and as belonging in Bridgerton House. Violet moving out of Bridgerton House would also signal a healing in the relationship between Violet and Anthony, that Violet no longer needs to hover over him, and that she trusts and respects who he is now as well as his choice of Kate as a wife, and that she respects Kate as the Viscountess. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Keeping Violet at the centre of Bridgerton House the show has created a blurring of the lines for viewers between the Viscountess (Kate) and the Dowager Viscountess (Violet), but also signalled a disrespect or contempt for the character of Kate. Moving Violet into a dower house in season 5 would allow the production to complete a transitional arc for Violet, signal clearly that Bridgerton House is Kate and Anthony's, even if they are not present in all episodes, and show Kate the same respect they have shown other characters who have married.  

Further, by introducing a dower house for Violet, rather than keeping her at Bridgerton House, the production could resolve some of the awkwardness of having much of the Bridgerton storylines taking place in Bridgerton House but Kate and Anthony not being present, an issue that was glaringly obvious in season 4.  In addition the closure of Halton House, and being unable to have scenes in the iconic entry hall of Bridgerton House, season 5 presents the opportune time for Violet to finally move into a dower house allowing Kate to be the Viscountess in practice not just name. Bridgerton House is no longer Violet's home, it is the home where Kate and Anthony will be growing their family, and it is time that the Bridgerton production recognised this.

Throwback Thursday: The future of Bridgerton House

This post was originally published on 1 June 2026

The interior of Halton House - the former Officer's Mess at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, England - is immediately recognisable to Bridgerton fans as the grand entrance hall and main staircase of Bridgerton House. However, with the closure of Halton House, and rumours about the future of Kate and Anthony's appearance in the show, questions arise about the future of Bridgerton House as a location in the show.

 

 Image Credit: Netflix

 

As one of the main settings since the show began, Bridgerton House now sits at the centre of a growing narrative problem for the showrunner. The house belongs to the Viscountcy, and is therefore the home of Anthony, Kate and Edmund, but Anthony and Kate continue to be absent from the house, and on the occasions when they are present they are not treated as the rightful owners of the home, but rather as guests in it - especially Kate. With season 5 now filming the production faces decisions around the narrative importance of Bridgerton House, who belongs in the house, who runs it, and what messages their narrative choices will send to viewers. The closure of Halton House, and the building of a backlot at Shepparton Studios, offers the show the opportunity to move Violet, and the children, to a Dower House, especially if Kate and Anthony are not going to have any further part in the show, or any narrative importance. 

 

Anthony as the Viscount is the legal head of the family, and Bridgerton House is his, while Kate, as the Viscountess, should be the mistress of the household, however, in the show it does not feel as if this is Anthony and Kate's home, but rather Violet's. The production continues to write Violet as the Viscountess, head of the family, and the single authority in Bridgerton House. Violet, as the Dowager Viscountess, should have moved into a Dower House after Anthony and Kate's marriage so that Kate, as the new Viscountess, could take up her role in the household and society without interference. This transition should have been a narrative point for season 3, and season 4, providing further growth for both Violet and Kate as characters, but instead Jess Brownell has elected to keep Kate, as the Viscountess, largely underdeveloped and sidelined as a character, instead electing to keep Violet in the position of Viscountess.

 

This narrative failure was glaring in season 4 where much of the main storyline was centred in Bridgerton House (instead of Number 5 as in the books), as we never saw Anthony managing the estate or Kate managing the household but rather those roles were deferred to Benedict and Violet respectively. When Anthony and Kate finally appeared we still didn't see them taking on their roles in the household. Anthony's role as Viscount continued to be performed by Benedict, even after his return and during the one time we should have seen Anthony taking up his duty as the Viscount - John's death.  For Kate, when we finally saw her in Bridgerton House she was positioned as a guest in the house, not as the lady of the house, relegated to a corner while her white in-laws were front and centre creating the idea they belonged and she did not.

The way that Kate especially was positioned in season 4 has a wider implication than simply good storytelling or historical accuracy, it is also about representation and visibility. Kate is the Viscountess, yet the home that is hers does not reflect that it is her home. There have been no changes within the house that suggest it is Kate's home, unlike in Featherington House where the production went out of their way to re-decorate the house to reflect Penelope's new position in the house and in society.  Bridgerton House is still very strongly connected to Violet and the white Bridgertons visually, rather than the Viscountess.  

 

The optics of this choice stand out more because Kate is one of the show's most prominent women of colour, and the only South Asian central to the Bridgerton family, yet the main set for Bridgerton House is predominantly occupied by white members of the nuclear and extended family, whilst the South Asian Viscountess is mostly absent or pushed to the margins when she is present. This may not be an intentional choice by the production, but the way that Kate's position in the household has been framed creates the perception that Kate's role in the Bridgerton family is less important to the showrunner than the white family members, and in laws.  

 

This framing in season 4 was positioned early in episode 1 when Penelope welcomed the Queen to Bridgerton House, using the inclusive 'we', indicating that Penelope was not only considered a Bridgerton, but that Bridgerton House was to be seen in some way as her house also, whilst the Viscountess was absent, and removed from an important event occurring in her home. To some this may seem minor, and there may be a response of 'it's not that serious', but when looked at in totality, the picture created is that the production does not view Kate as a Bridgerton, or as the Viscountess.

 

The absence of Anthony and Kate in season 4 has fuelled some speculation that they will not be in season 5, which creates a narrative problem for Jess Brownell (the showrunner) if the production continues to centre Violet and the unmarried Bridgertons in Bridgerton House. A failure to include the Viscount and Viscountess in a meaningful way whilst centring some of the storylines on their house will continue to have viewers and fans questioning why they are not present, and perhaps criticising the narrative choice similar to what occurred after season 4. 

 

Beyond the questions of ownership and occupancy, the absence of Kate from Bridgerton House creates a further reputational risk that the show may not have considered. The absence of Kate in season 5 may work to reinforce the idea that this show does not want to do meaningful representation, but rather wishes to perpetuate the idea that whiteness is supreme and that only a white woman is valued as the Viscountess and able to run Bridgerton House.  

 

Alongside these narrative challenges the production also faces the challenge of the closure of Halton House. Whilst not all scenes inside Bridgerton House have taken place in the entry hall, it is an iconic part of the house, and instantly recognisable to viewers. Whilst the loss of the entry hall for Bridgerton House can be seen as a challenge, it should be noted that the exterior of the house is not at the same location, and is not impacted by the decision of the Ministry of Defence to close Halton House.  However, the closure of Halton House could create an opportunity, as much as it is a challenge. The Bridgerton production designed new sets of Bridgerton House interiors for season 4, so the argument could be that they just use those, however, this loss could also be used as the catalyst for the production to finally move Violet into a Dower House, thus creating a narrative distinction between Violet as Dowager and Kate as the Viscountess, and it could also help with the challenge of explaining why Anthony and Kate aren't present in their home, or why Kate is not running her household.  

 

The future of Bridgerton House as a location is not dependent on Halton House, though the location is an iconic part of the world that was built in seasons 1 & 2, however, the closure of the location does present an opportunity for the production, if they wish to take it. By moving Violet out of Anthony and Kate's house, into her own household, the production can push the narrative along for both Violet and Kate, creating opportunities for character growth for both of them, but also it could stop another season of awkwardness as they come up with more and more unbelievable excuses for Anthony and Kate being absent from their home. 

The Real Locations Behind Bridgerton House

Bridgerton House as we know it from onscreen is an amalgamation of studio sets and three separate locations. This post is will provide a glimpse into the three real life locations that have been the setting for some of the most iconic moments in Bridgerton.  

Image Credit: English Heritage

Ranger's House

Ranger's House is probably the most recognisable of the three locations providing the filming location for the front exterior of Bridgerton House.  The gardens at Ranger's House have also provided the setting for some of the family scenes viewers love, including all the swing scenes between Benedict and Eloise, as well as the memorable fencing scene with the brothers in season 2, and Benedict playing cards with his younger siblings in season 3. 

Ranger's House in reality is not in Mayfair, but is a Georgian Villa that sits on the edge of Greenwich Park opposite Blackheath in London. The house that sits on the land today was built in the 1720s, originally for a Naval Captain, eventually becoming the official residence of the Ranger of Greenwich Park, giving it the name Ranger's House that it carries today. The first Ranger to live in the house was Princess Sophia Matilda, neice of King George III. Princess Sophia Matilda lived in Ranger's House from 1815 until her death in 1844, after which several more Rangers of Greenwich Park lived in the house until 1897 when Queen Victoria transferred the house to the Commissioners of Woods.  In the following years the house had many lives, including as a tea room after it was sold to London County Council.  During the 1950s to 1970s the house underwent two periods of restoration, and the gardens were upgraded, and in 1986 the Greater London Council passed the house into the care of English Heritage where it remains today. 

Housing art exhibitions was not new for Ranger's House as over the years it was home to several collections, however, today it is home to the collection of fine and decorative art amassed by German businessman Julius Wernher.  As well as serving as an art gallery, Ranger's House is also used as a filming location for movies and TV series being filmed in London, most recently (and most recognisably) for Bridgerton as the exterior of Bridgerton House. 

In May of this year there was filming at Ranger's House for season 5 of Bridgerton.

You can read more on the history of Ranger's House here. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Halton House

Whilst Ranger's House provides the recognisable exterior for Bridgerton House, Halton House provided the iconic entryway and staircase.  

The entryway and grand staircase in Bridgerton House was filmed in Halton House, in Buckinghamshire. Originally built in the 1880s as the home for Alfred de Rothschild the house was sold to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1918 after his death where it was used as the Officer's Mess for RAF Halton. 

In January 2025 Halton House was unexpectedly and suddenly closed due to structural issues. A source told Forces News that the building was set up ready to film pick up shots for Bridgerton season 4, and the crew turned up to find out they were unable to film. What this means for the viewers and fans moving forward is that there will most likely be no more scenes in the iconic entryway to Bridgerton House, the portraits of the children will no longer be seen and the heart of the house has gone for good. 

You can read more about Halton House here.

You can read the Forces News article here.

Image Credit: National Trust

Ham House

The final location we are going to look at here is Ham House. Introduced in season 4 to stand in as the gardens for the Masquerade Ball, Ham House is a 17th century mansion built in 1610 for a courtier of King James I.

Ham House reverted to the Crown in 1627 before being granted to William Murray (later Earl of Dysart), and was held in his family until 1948 when it was gifted to The National Trust. 

In addition to providing the location for Bridgerton House gardens, Ham House was used as the location for the My Cottage kitchens and for Sophie's jail cell. 

There have been no reports of filming for season 5 at Ham House as yet. 

You can read about Ham House here.

Alongside the sets for the interior rooms at Bridgerton House, including the recognisable drawing room, these three locations form the anchor for the Bridgerton family, and by extension the Bridgerton show. 

For fans of the show who wish to see where it is filmed, both Ranger's House and Ham House are open to the public, go to the websites (English Heritage and National Trust) in order to get details for opening times and book tickets.