After a slow build, Bridgerton series three finally made good on its promises when it ramped up the raunch at the end of episode four.

But that racy six-minute sex scene between Penelope and Colin has divided critics, with it branded both ‘cringe’ and ‘one of the sexiest moments on television’.

Bridgerton series three part two gives fans a taste of the steamy sex that made its first season, when Nicola Coughlan, 37, strips fully nude ahead of her and Luke Newton’s much-talked-about romp.

The steamy moment between newly-engaged Penelope and Colin lasts for a whole six minutes, but critics have said fans will be left disappointed as they watch on and discover there’s not much more to come.

And while Variety’s Aramide Timudu called the scene of the ‘sexiest things seen on television since Bridgerton series one’, the Evening Standard’s Vicky Jessop felt the highly-anticipated regency romp left a little to be desired.

‘Steamy this is not,’ she said. ‘Watching it feels like seeing two teenagers fumbling their way through an awkward clinch.’

Critics’ opinions on part two were largely restricted to episode five and six, as Netflix guarded the final two for its main drop on Thursday.

Vicky gave part two a damning two-star review, as she asked: ‘Is Bridgerton losing its touch?’

The Telegraph’s Anita Singh was also left unimpressed, calling the much-awaited Penelope and Colin series a ‘dud’.

She wrote: ‘Aside from Penelope’s heaving bosom, though, this third series remains a dud.

‘Her extensive sex scene with Colin has a cringe-making quality – think EL James’ Fifty Shades with all of the terrible dialogue but none of the nipple clamps. Away from the main couple, the plot barely exists.’

Criticism of the Netflix show’s sub-plots were a running theme, as reviewers dubbed them ‘boring’.

Evening Standard’s Vicky said: ‘Francesca’s love affair with Lord John Stirling is snooze-worthy – all those painful silences! Yes, we get it, they’re shy!’

Meanwhile, Carol Midgley of The Times wrote: ‘There are various subplots, such as the one involving Francesca Bridgerton trying to find a chap, which are quite dull frankly.’

And The Independent’s Kate Rosseinsky said: ‘The drama is underwritten, and too much narrative space is given to flimsy plot lines that are hard to engage with.’

Her three-star review concluded: ‘The wheels are starting to come off the Bridgerton carriage – and the final two episodes will need to be pretty dramatic to get things back on track.’

However not all critics felt the same about the steamy sex scene in episode five, as others hailed it ‘classic Bridgerton raunch’ – as well as applauding its ‘tenderness’.

Variety’s Aramide wrote: ‘The primary sex scene between Polin involving a full-length mirror and a chaise lounge is one of the sexiest things seen on television since Bridgerton Season 1.

‘As an instrumental of Ariana Grande’s POV hums in the background, the segment encompasses all of the lush vulnerability that comes with love, lust and acceptance.

‘Fans may still gripe at the lack of sensual activity on screen, but this mirror section is absolutely intoxicating and beautifully done.’

Meanwhile The Times’ Carol wrote: ‘The main energy of this series comes from the relationship between Colin and Penelope which, I have to admit it, teems with chemistry.

‘I call Bridgerton the “toff, t**s and titles” show, but here another t-word is at play — tenderness.’

Carol gave a special mention to Derry Girls star Nicola’s performance in the racy scene, adding: ‘Coughlan’s aforementioned breasts should get some kind of award for all the heaving they do.

‘Good lord, they’re up and down in those frocks like a pair of airbags.’

A downgrade from his five stars for part one, The Daily Mail‘s Christopher Stevens did applaud Nicola and Luke for living up to their claims there would be raunch.

Giving the episodes four stars, he wrote: ‘ Stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton have been promising for weeks that this time, in two newly released episodes, Bridgerton goes all the way.

‘He flashes his bum, she bares her boobs, just so we can be in no doubt that The Deed is about to take place.’

But he also shared that he felt the scene hadn’t gone quite far enough, as he said: ‘And they weren’t fibbing… though, for such an explicit sex scene, it was also oddly chaste.’

Fans were treated to the racy scene on Thursday morning when the final four episodes were released by Netflix.

In the explicit scene, Penelope was being comforted by Luke after a row with her mother about her engagement, during which time they began kissing.

Luke then began to grope his fiancée before undoing her corset and admiring her naked figure.

The pair then moved to the chaise longue where Luke’s bare bottom was displayed before they touched each other intimately.

They checked in on each other constantly, with Penelope stating: ‘tell me what to do’, with Luke offering: ‘you could touch me.’

After warning his virginal bride that this ‘may hurt’ the pair then had sex, with Penelope asking at the end ‘can we do it again?’ to which Colin quipped: ‘give me 5 minutes, maybe 10.’

The racy scene lasted a total of six minutes – which was the combined length of all the steamy moments in part one.

While the most shocking, Colin and Penelope’s scene wasn’t the first steamy moment in part two.

Less than five minutes into episode five, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) was seen in bed with widow, Lady Tilley Arnold but their antics remained firmly under the covers.

Nicola and Luke previously revealing that they filmed so many romps that by the end they were comfortable lounging around together naked between takes.

The Derry Girls star previously revealed: ‘I think we’ve won the sauciness for this series!’ as she detailed the sex scenes.

She teased what fans can expect to see, telling Entertainment Weekly: ‘We did break a piece of furniture while doing one scene. It’s a little bit like a stunt in which they’re like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna do this, this, and this.

‘But then they gave us freedom and we had a lot of say in how we did those scenes and what we wanted to do. That makes you feel quite empowered.

‘So we felt super. They were actually really enjoyable. I didn’t think they would be. It was fun.’