AFTER an eye-poppingly steamy debut, then a limp second outing, bonking is back on Bridgerton – and then some.
With lesbian love action, threesomes and an oral sex scene, Netflix’s original bodice-ripper has returned to its racy roots.
Fans of the Regency romp will be thrilled by the high-octane antics between their favourite characters.
And they will be left hot under the collar by one man’s affair with a glamorous cougar.
The first four episodes land on May 16, with the second four to follow on June 13, and from the outset they are full of hot action.
Having seen the first instalments, it is clear that actor pals Luke Newton, 31, and Nicola Coughlan, 37, weren’t exaggerating the show’s sex scenes, which we have awarded a bonk rating based on their raunchiness.
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Nicola, who plays former wallflower Penelope Featherington, said: “It’s steamy! I was like ‘Oh wow . . . are we really doing that?’.
"It was scary that we were friends to begin with, because the thought of doing that stuff with your friend is like, ‘Oh’.
“But we had a laugh with it and had fun.”
In fact, Nicola enjoyed the sex scenes so much, she and screen suitor Luke, who plays Colin Bridgerton, managed to wreck part of the set.
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She told 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, ‘OK, 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. The scenes were actually really enjoyable. I didn’t think they would be. It was fun.”
Co-star Luke reckons fans who tune in to the period drama are ready for lots of saucy antics.
He said: “I feel like you’re expecting that with this show, but I think we’ve really ramped it up.
It’s steamy! I was like ‘Oh wow . . . are we really doing that?'
Nicola Coughlan
"It’s steamy across the board — like there’s lots of people across the ’Ton that are just at it. It’s not just us!”
And Nicola joked: “There are bonking opportunities for all!”
There certainly are, with Anthony Bridgerton and new wife Kate from series two — which fans feared had lost its mojo — leaving little to the imagination.
‘Actor to sex symbol’
One sexy scene features stars Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley in a screen tryst which sees him bury his head between her legs.
In this early part of series three, Luke’s Colin — who is single — is sowing his wild oats and visits sex workers to get his kicks.
It results in a string of sizzling storylines where Colin enjoys threesomes with two women.
Later, he watches them perform a sex show for him.
The sizzling action will catapult the actor on the same astonishing trajectory as his forebearers Rege-Jean Page, who played series one’s Duke of Hastings Simon Basset, and Jonathan Bailey.
Rege-Jean rocketed his way to worldwide fame with his Bridgerton romps.
He has now appeared in Netflix action film The Gray Man — and was even tipped to play James Bond.
Jonathan, similarly, was a theatre actor before he attracted attention by emerging from a lake in a dripping wet shirt, a bit like Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
He is now set to star in Wicked, alongside singer Ariana Grande, and has been linked to the next Jurassic World movie.
Meanwhile, Luke Newton is morphing from ordinary actor into sex symbol thanks to the Bridgerton bonk machine.
A source said: “The glow-up Netflix give its leading men on Bridgerton is legendary.
The glow-up Netflix give its leading men on Bridgerton is legendary
Source
“Aesthetically, all had the looks and charisma to command the world stage.
“But it’s not until the romance series cast them as heroes that they became Hollywood hunks, almost overnight.
"We saw it with Rege-Jean and Jonathan, and now Luke is transforming before our eyes.
"Usually it is actresses who rise to fame through one attention-grabbing, sexy scene, like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct and Margot Robbie in Wolf of Wall Street.
"Bridgerton does that for its leading men.”
Luke reckons the past two series have helped him prepare him for his rise in the show, based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels.
He told the upcoming edition of Man About Town magazine: “It feels like the previous seasons have almost been prep, which is kind of weird that they’re documented and they are for ever on Netflix.
“Also, Nicola [Coughlan] and I never knew that we would even get to this.
“I remember ringing my mum and being like, ‘I’ve booked this show and it’s about these books, and there’s eight of them and one of them could be about me’.”
Nicola is already a big star thanks to her role in cult comedy Derry Girls.
But she’s bloomed on Bridgerton too, with Penelope undergoing her own makeover.
The first series also took Phoebe Dynevor, who impressed as blushing Daphne Bridgerton, from an unknown to a blockbuster name.
She’s landed big roles in Netflix thriller Fair Play and film Bank of Dave.
However, fame has been a long time coming for Luke.
He was once a member of boyband South 4, which was dubbed “Sussex’s answer to One Direction” after they met at The Brit School, which produced the likes of Adele, Jessie J and The Kooks.
In 2012, they signed a £1million deal with Eagle Music and released debut single, Cougar Town.
In the video that went with the tune, Luke was seen getting his kit off while covering his modesty with only a Union Jack.
The group unfortunately failed to make it in the music industry.
But going by his latest storylines, Luke is certainly not a flop on TV.
Bonk Rating
Series 1:
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★★★★☆
Series 2:
★★☆☆☆
Series 3: