Bridgerton Season 3 Cast: Meet Lady Arnold, Lord Debling & More New Characters

How do the makers of Bridgerton keep a fandom as dedicated as theirs guessing? How does the Netflix show surprise a core of fans who are so intimately familiar with Julia Quinn’s source books that they’re anticipating every blush and ball before it even gets to the screen?

One solution, as has happened in season three, is to play with the established order of things. Though Benedict Bridgerton’s romance follows on from that of his brother Anthony’s in Quinn’s book series, the TV show has (rightly!) vaulted over that to first show the love story between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.

Their other answer? Invention. In addition to TV-only characters Madame Delacroix, Will and Alice Mondrich and Queen Charlotte herself, a new raft of invented-for-the-show characters appear in season three. Here they all are, along with info on the actors playing them, plus a couple of brand new cast-members who do feature in Quinn’s novels.

Sam Philips as Lord Alfred Debling

Invented for the TV series, Lord Debling is one of this season’s eligible bachelors and possesses a grand estate that any young debutante would be lucky to call herself mistress of. As a naturalist who’s devoted his life to conservation and the study of the natural world, Debling is something of a man out of time among the Ton. Pursued as a potential husband by Cressida Cowper, among others, Debling forms one side of a season three love triangle.

He’s played by Sam Philips, an actor who’s appeared in multiple episodes of The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II’s equerry Stephen Chambers in season three and four, as well as having had roles in Grantchester, Father Brown and 2015 British series The Syndicate.

Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold

Lady Arnold is a new prospect for Bridgerton. While society widow Lady Danbury enjoys the freedom of life as a wealthy independent woman, her love life has so far stayed behind in prequel series Queen Charlotte. Not so for Tilley Arnold, an intelligent, forward-thinking go-getter whose fires very much still burn.

Black Sails fans will surely recognise New as having played Eleanor, the daughter of black marketeer Richard Guthrie in the historical pirate drama. She was also Victoria Holdsworth/Getty in 2018’s Getty family kidnap drama Trust, starred opposite Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, and appeared in two episodes of vampire horror The Strain.

Daniel Francis as Lord Anderson

Speaking of the romantic lives of widows, please meet visiting Lord Anderson, a man connected to Lady Danbury who may soon be connected to another key Bridgerton character… (no spoilers here).

Lord Anderson is played by Daniel Francis, a familiar face to fans of ABC storytelling fantasy Once Upon a Time, who also appeared in Netflix’s Harlan Coben thriller Stay Close, a couple of episodes of fantasy epic The Wheel of Time, plus Steve McQueen’s acclaimed Small Axe film in 2020.

James Phoon as Harry Dankworth

Dankworth is a handsome young man, but hardly the sharpest tool in the box. Still, brains aren’t everything in a husband… or in a wife, as it turns out for Harry. He’s played by James Phoon, who was recently seen on screen as Hamish in BBC Three horror comedy Wreck, as well as having voiced many roles in animations and video games, from Dodo to Rise of the Ronin.

David Mumeni as Lord Samadani

When Queen Charlotte chooses her diamond of the season from among that year’s debutantes, she doesn’t want her married off to just any old lord. Enter: highly eligible bachelor Lord Samadani, the Queen’s particular favourite of the current season.

Fans of British comedy TV will have no trouble recognising Mumeni from recurring roles in the terrific Stath Lets Flats, Dead Pixels, Bloods, Sliced, Ladhood and Nicola Coughlan’s (aka Penelope Featherington) new series Big Mood. He’s also appeared in dramatic roles in The Girl Before and Coma, and popped up in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie.

Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton

We’ve already gone through all this here, but for anybody not up-to-date, Francesca Bridgerton was recast for season three due to a filming schedule conflict for the original Frannie, Ruby Stokes (Lockwood & Co.) Hannah Dodd is the new Francesca, who comes of age this season and is the latest Bridgerton girl to be presented to the queen and put on the marriage market.

Dodd played Sophia in raunchy historical drama Harlots (a must-watch), as well as popping up in the Anatomy of a Scandal flashbacks playing a younger version of Sienna Miller’s character, and appearing in Netflix film Enola Holmes 2.

Victor Alli as John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin

Not an invented character for the TV show but a new one joining from the books, John Stirling is another eligible bachelor attending society balls in search of a wife. Will he find one among this year’s latest debutantes?

Actor Victor Alli has had supporting roles in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Belfast, Grantchester, Death on the Nile and Star Wars show Andor, as well as a recurring role on Peacock drama Last Light.

Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is available to stream now on Netflix. Part 2 arrives on June 13.