The period drama Bridgerton has been one of Netflix’s biggest successes, with the Regency-set story focusing on the lives and loves of the Bridgerton family and their friends. The new third season starts on Thursday 16 May with the arrival of the first four episodes (the final four episodes will drop on Netflix on Thursday 13 June), and this time around the heart of the tale is the blossoming romance between old friends Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.
It means that the actors playing them – Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton – are now in the spotlight, with Luke stepping up to be the leading man of the series, taking over from Rege-Jean Page (season one) and Jonathan Bailey (season two). But what do we really know about the new male star of Bridgerton?
What has Luke Newton been in before?
While he is best known for playing Colin in all three seasons of Bridgerton, 31 year old Luke began his entertainment career as a teenager in a boy band called South 4, who were described as Sussex’s answer to One Direction. He later studied at the London School of Musical Theatre before winning his first acting role as Luke Atwood in the BBC teen drama series The Cut. He then appeared onstage in the West End production of The Book of Mormon in 2013, before starring as Ben in the Disney musical mystery series The Lodge.
Luke has been starring in Bridgerton since 2020, and he also appeared in a production of The Shape of Things at the Park Theatre in London last year.
Is Luke dating co-star Nicola Coughlan?
Fans have been hoping that Luke and Nicola are in a relationship off screen as well as on screen in Bridgerton, but the pair have confirmed they are just friends. At the Bridgerton premiere in New York on Monday 13 May, Nicola said about the romance rumours: “We think it’s really sweet, I think because we truly love each other. He is a really special person in my life, and I got to do this experience with him. I’ll never get to do something like this again, on this scale… It’s so nice having such a lovely friend that I can do all this with.”
The two are very supportive of each other’s careers, with Nicola going to see Luke on stage in The Shape of Things and posting on Instagram: “Smashing it up on the London stage and I’m so proud, you’re the best.”
Luke has previously been linked to his The Lodge co-star Sophie Simnett and also stage actress Jade Davies.
What is Luke’s hidden talent?
As you can guess from his boy band past, it is singing. Luke used to post his cover versions of songs on his YouTube channel and he also made music for The Lodge series. He may inherit his singing talent from his dad, who he revealed in an interview with The Standard was once a competitor on talent show Stars in their Eyes.
“He was on Stars in their Eyes and won it in like, ‘95 or so. He still holds on to that. If we go out and I get recognised, he’s like [points at himself] Stars in their Eyes, remember?” Luke’s mother, meanwhile, is chair of the Brighton & Hove Operatic Society and two of his aunts performed in the West End in musicals.
