May I ask you to cast your mind back to 2020? Kind of a traumatic request, I know. But between all the plague-talk, lockdowns and general air of malaise you might remember a certain sexy period drama that had us all a bit flustered in our nether regions. Well, bad news for those clinging onto the ghost of Bridgerton season one. Phoebe Dynevor is calling it a day.

The actor has revealed to Variety that she won't be returning to season three of Bridgerton, which is set to spotlight the romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. “Well I did my two seasons,” Dynevor said when asked about her future in the Netflix series. “I’ve done what I wanted to do with that character and she had a great arc. If they ask me back in the future, who knows?”

After leading season one in the breakout role of Daphne Bridgerton alongside fellow heartthrob Regé-Jean Page, both characters are officially out of the Bridgerton-verse, and now it's time to thank them for their service. Someone go get the medals!

Dynevor is certainly booked and busy anyway. Her schedule is currently rammed with a slate of other roles in projects like Sundance film Fair Play, The Threesome alongside Logan Lerman and the adaptation of Naoise Dolan's beloved fiction debut Exciting Times, so it kind of makes sense that she would sit this Bridgerton season out. Who knows? Maybe Shonda Rhimes will write her in as a reappearing cameo.

As for what to expect from season three? Originally, when we dared to dream of season three we took our cues from the books written by Julia Quinn. Those pages dictated that season three would focus on the second eldest sibling of the Bridgerton family, Benedict. But, as we've grown more invested in the relationship between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, showmakers have pivoted to focus on them for the upcoming season.

Image: @bridgertonnetflix