Nicola Coughlan has reflected on local Galway gossip as Lady Whistledown is making her way back to Netflix’s Bridgerton.

Wallflower Penelope Featherington has been putting pen to paper for three seasons now as the anonymous local gossip spreader.

The Bridgerton Season 3, part two screening took place this evening at Light House Cinema in Dublin.

Coughlan, on the red carpet this evening, said it was easy to slip into the conniving character of Lady Whistledown due to “local gossiping” in her native Galway.

When learning the accent for Derry Girls, Nicola listened to Nadine Coyle’s Pop Star footage to learn the lingo. But for Penelope, she had a different way about it.

“I actually didn’t have anybody. I think because it was one of those ones I heard on TV all the time as a kid. So I used to just do a lot of listening and repeating myself.

“I’m sure I drove my family crazy, just always talking and certain voices. Derry Girls was harder.”

The first half of the series which focuses on the love tale between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) was released on May 16, 2024. It scored the largest debut in the series’ history, garnering over 41M views in the first four days.

At the end of season two, Penelope gives up on her long-held crush on Colin after overhearing his disparaging words about her.

In the new season, she decides it’s time to find a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.

Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realise that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder.

Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.

Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the town makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.

The final four episodes of Bridgerton season three will premiere on Thursday, June 13, 2024.