She’s been at the centre of the Netflix drama since its debut six years ago – but now, Lady Whistledown, at least as audiences have known her, has retired.

The most recent series of the hit regency drama Bridgerton, which returned to screens earlier this year, saw Nicola Coughlan‘s Lady Penelope waving goodbye to her post as the resident ton gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown.

But as the fourth season came to a close, viewers were left delighted when the writer’s voice rung out again – signalling a new writer taking over.

‘Are you perhaps feeling a little shock?’ the new Whistledown, voiced by Julie Andrews, said. ‘You thought I was gone for good, but far too much transpires for this author to remain silent.

‘It is assuredly a reunion rooted in care and love. Though this time with a very different author.’

The identity of the mystery new writer has so far been kept under wraps, but it hasn’t stopped the show’s huge fandom from making their guesses at the identity.

+7
View gallery

She’s been at the centre of the Netflix drama since its debut six years ago – but now, Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope, aka Lady Whistledown, has retired

+7
View gallery

Fans of Bridgerton have been speculating as to who will be the next author of the Lady Whistledown column, including the Queen (pictured: Golda Rosheuvel and Adjoa Andoh)

Dozens of viewers have pointed out that the new Lady Whistledown is speaking more colloquially than before, perhaps pointing to a lower-class author.

While others have hinted at the head of society herself, Queen Charlotte, and her band of ladies-in-waiting – given she did admit she loves a good gossip, and might know exactly what her subjects want to hear.

Nonetheless, the slight change in voice has had the Ton talking, with one fan taking to social media to write: ‘I don’t quite have the vocabulary to describe this but Julie Andrews’ narration sounds completely different at the end of Season 4…’

Another agreed: ‘It’s to play on the fact that a new Whistledown is taking over!’

Here, we run down some of the most popular fan theories, and what evidence there is to back them up after season four came to an end.

Hyacinth Bridgerton

Surprisingly, of all the people who were upset to see Penelope wave goodbye to her much-loved gossip column, it was Hyacinth, played by Florence Hunt, who was most distressed by the news.

The youngest Bridgerton sister has been busy preparing for her debut in the most recent season, and with Lady Whistledown retiring, nobody would be writing about her first entry into society.

She also happens to tick some of the boxes, being curious, observant and clearly wowed by the glamorous social games of the ton.

+7
View gallery

Fans have speculated it could be Hyacinth (right, played by Florence Hunt) who takes over

Lady Penwood

To escape marriage to a wealthy elderly man, the new Lady Penwood, known better by fans as Cressida Cowper, wed a distant relative of the late Lord Penwood.

And in order to re-insert herself into society, Cressida and her husband moved back into London in the Penwood residence, hoping to gain favour, influence and relevance again through the Lady Whistledown column.

It didn’t go too well, with Penelope instead using her final column to announce her departure rather than heap praise on Cressida as she might have hoped.

It would make her the perfect candidate to want to take over in order to re-shape the way society sees her after her time away from the ton.

Mrs Varley

Featherington housekeeper Mrs Varley is already on top of all the gossip floating about the ton – meeting with other housekeepers at the market to exchange stories about their household.

Season four highlighted just how good Varley is at keeping secrets, as she was seen battling it out with Araminta Gun over the whereabouts of her step-daughter, Sophie.

Fans appear to be behind Varley’s rise in society, with one writing: ‘They had the storyline about how she knows all the gossip, and that she hasn’t been paid enough.’

But, if one thing is for certain, having a gossip column is a full-time job – something the working classes might struggle with on the side of their already busy lives.

+7
View gallery

Featherington housekeeper Mrs Varley is already on top of all the gossip floating about the ton

Alice Mondrich

She’s already been working for the Queen trying to find out information about Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek on her behalf since her new rise in society, becoming one of the ladies-in-waiting.

Now, Alice could capitalise on her ability to find out the juicy details about one of the ton’s most famous families while keeping herself busy.

It’s no secret that Alice hasn’t exactly enjoyed her and her husband’s rise in society, and finds being a lady-in-waiting a little boring, so it could provide the perfect outlet.

One Reddit user reacted: ‘She stated that simply being a lady in waiting was boring for her, so her writing about gossip would keep the Queen and her entertained.’

The Queen

Who better to write a gossip column than the one woman who admitted that she loves a good gossip? That’s at least what fans are theorising.

Queen Charlotte initially outright refused to let Penelope end the column when she was first approached with the idea, and there was no shortage of conversation about how much a good gossip means to her.

And if it’s not one of her ladies-in-waiting, or her trusty footman Brimsley, doing it themselves, they certainly could help her Majesty remain undercover.

One fan said: ‘I can see the Queen taking this on as a new project to keep herself occupied and entertained on her own terms, like the real puppet master she is.’

+7
View gallery

Fans have also theorised the Queen could be behind Lady Whistledown’s new iteration

It comes after Bridgerton fans have called out a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blunder just minutes into Netflix‘s hotly anticipated fourth series of their Regency era drama.

Eagle-eyed viewers took to social media after spotting the costume mistake – as one character donned a very modern item alongside her period costume.

Taking to TikTok, one Bridgerton fan zoomed closely on a shot of Katie Leung, who plays Lady Araminta Gun, the former Lady Penwood, in the series – to reveal her wearing a plaster.

The actress, who is best known for her role as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter franchise, had the flesh-toned plaster placed over a cartilage piercing in her ear.

Covering the piercing, the plaster was noticeable thanks to the lighting in the moment, where Lady Penwood met with Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) to ask whether her son Benedict (Luke Thompson) was looking for a suitor.

Joined by her two daughters, played by Michelle Mao and Isabella Wei, in the shot, fans took to social media to reveal the blunder.

+7
View gallery

Bridgerton fans have called out a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blunder just minutes into Netflix’s hotly anticipated fourth series of their Regency era drama

One TikTok user penned, nodding towards show gossip columnist Lady Whistledown: ‘Dearest Gentle Readers, bandaids in this era? The ton want to know!’

Another replied to the video: ‘Can someone explain what it is?’ to which the poster continued: ‘Earring covering, I saw her piercing on Instagram.’

‘This is literally the problem with ultra HD TVs and cameras,’ someone else pointed out, as a fourth penned: ‘As an actor, it’s wild to not take your piercing out to film.’

‘I wish they had covered it better — like put a fancy ear cuff up there or something,’ another viewer suggested, as one wrote: ‘Okay, so I wasn’t crazy when I saw that?’

Bridgerton set pulses racing once again as Benedict and Sophie Baek’s love story was put front and centre in the fourth series last month.