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The real reason Francesca Bridgerton was recast revealed in Netflix's hit bonkbuster

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As the eagerly anticipated third series of the Netflix period drama Bridgerton finally hit our Netflix screens on Thursday, fans who have already begun to binge will have noticed one key character looks a little different.

Francesca Bridgerton, who is the sixth of eight Bridgerton children, takes centre stage in the new installment of episodes - and it comes just as her character has been recast.

While the main storyline follows the blossoming romance of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton), it also sees Francesca step into a bigger role.

In the previous two seasons, the minor character was played by Ruby Stokes, 23, and was only ever seen in five episodes in total. 

Now, the actress, 28, Hannah Dodd has taken over as Francesca's storyline begins to become more important.

In the previous two seasons, Francesca Bridgerton was played by Ruby Stokes, 23, and was only ever seen in five episodes in total
Now, the 28-year-old actress Hannah Dodd has taken over as Francesca's storyline begins to become more important

In the previous two seasons, Francesca Bridgerton was played by Ruby Stokes (left), 23, and was only ever seen in five episodes in total, before the role was taken over by Hannah Dodd (right) for season three

Hannah (left) has taken over just as Francesca's storyline begins to become more important

Hannah (left) has taken over just as Francesca's storyline begins to become more important

The critics' view on Bridgerton series three

The Independent 

Rating:

Nick Hilton stated the Netflix period drama is 'losing its bite' but praised lead Nicola: 'Coughlan is a superb screen presence and has long been one of Bridgerton's strengths.'

The Telegraph

Rating:

Anita Singh: 'What was once fresh and fun now seems stuck in a rut, as the hit period drama begins to show signs of wear'.

Guardian

Rating:

Rachel Aroesti: 'As we dive into season three, the show’s delights are still blindingly obvious, its flaws possible to overlook. Just like the besotted couples it follows, Bridgerton’s honeymoon phase is far from over.'

Evening Standard

Rating:

Vicky Jessop: 'Three seasons in, the Bridgerton formula is wearing thin: can you tell? The plot beats are predictable, the romance feels copy and paste and they all live happily ever after.'

The Daily Mail 

Rating:

Christopher Stevens: This is what Bridgerton does best. The candelabras, the footmen in their finery, the chinless drones in silk waistcoats, the floral arrangements like all of Kew Gardens crammed into a vase, the plumed horses, the diamond-studded pineapples, the rosy-cheeked urchins and wide-eyed housemaids, the villainous lawyers, the hot-air balloon flights, the sheer brilliance of the ballgowns – all shot through with intrigue, jealousy and lust.

Variety

Aramide Tinubu:  Coughlan and Newton have always had a beautiful rapport, but watching Colin realize he desires Penelope sexually creates a sparkling tension throughout Part 1 that threatens to burst off the screen'.

TIME

Judy Berman: 'In Season 3, viewers get to know Penelope better than we’ve ever known any of the show’s characters—and Bridgerton has never been as good as it is with its real heroine in the spotlight.'

The Hollywood Reporter 

Angie Han: 'On the whole this outing lacks the giddiness of earlier ones. Technically, there’s still plenty of skin... but the delicious yearning that has been Bridgeton‘s bread and butter is dulled, significantly, by the fact that there’s not much actually standing between the would-be couple.'

 

Season three sees the introverted younger Bridgerton sibling officially be presented to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) with the hopes of becoming the second 'diamond' in her family.

The sudden recast has left fans puzzled and they have taken to social media to question why Ruby stepped down from the Netflix role, just as her character was about to become a central focus of the plot.

However, the answer to the question is simply that Ruby had to step down due to other overlapping filming commitments. 

The 23-year-old actress left Bridgerton to film the new supernatural drama Lockwood & Co - another Netflix show, where she starred as the lead role of Lucy Carlyle in season one.

Her character in the young adult series was a teenage ghost hunter who teams up with two other youngsters (played by Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati) to set up a psychic detection agency.

However, Variety reported in May 2023 that Lockwood & Co would not be getting a second season, because 'while Netflix was very pleased with the show, and especially the work that had gone into it, viewing numbers didn't meet the threshold to greenlight a second season.'

The departure of Ruby from Bridgerton meant that Hannah was able to step into her place, after initially losing out in a battle for a key part in the drama when she auditioned a couple of years ago.

Hannah, who is best known for her roles in other Netflix shows such as Enola Holmes and Anatomy of a Scandal, is stepping up just as Francesca takes centre stage in the new episodes. 

Ruby Stokes (middle) left Bridgerton to film the new supernatural drama Lockwood & Co - another Netflix show, where she starred as the lead role of Lucy Carlyle in season one.

Ruby Stokes (middle) left Bridgerton to film the new supernatural drama Lockwood & Co - another Netflix show, where she starred as the lead role of Lucy Carlyle in season one.

Ruby (middle back) had to step down due to other overlapping filming commitments

Ruby (middle back) had to step down due to other overlapping filming commitments

Ruby's character in Lockwood & Co, which she left for Bridgerton for, was teenage ghost hunter Lucy Carlyle

Ruby's character in Lockwood & Co, which she left for Bridgerton for, was teenage ghost hunter Lucy Carlyle

Francesca Bridgerton (left: Played by Ruby Stokes in season two) is the sixth Bridgerton sibling

Francesca Bridgerton (left: Played by Ruby Stokes in season two) is the sixth Bridgerton sibling

Hannah's racy role will undoubtedly spark watercooler moments, as intimacy co-ordinators have been involved from the very start

Hannah's racy role will undoubtedly spark watercooler moments, as intimacy co-ordinators have been involved from the very start

Despite the series only being released today, fans of the period drama have already flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the Colchester-based actress's performance as the quiet Bridgerton sibling

Despite the series only being released today, fans of the period drama have already flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the Colchester-based actress's performance as the quiet Bridgerton sibling

Record-breaking Bridgerton has a reputation for turning unknowns into hot properties – think Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor from series one.

And Hannah's racy role will undoubtedly spark watercooler moments, as intimacy co-ordinators have been involved from the very start.

In When He Was Wicked, the sixth Bridgerton novel, Francesca is the central character – and one fireside scene is described as one of the most sensual in period romantic fiction.

Despite the series only being released today, fans of the period drama have already flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the Colchester-based actress's performance as the quiet Bridgerton sibling, writing:

'Yeah I don't  care what y'all say I love Hannah as Francesca #BRIDGERTON.'

'Forget diamond of the season, Hannah Dodd might just be my diamond of the entire #BRIDGERTON series... She's literally the perfect Francesca and I cannot wait for everyone to fall in love with her work in the first batch of episodes!!'

'I know she’s a different actress but Hannah is playing Francesca in this scene with the same mannerism Ruby did well done! #BRIDGERTON.'

Bridgerton series three part one streams on Netflix from May 16, series three part two from June 13. 

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