We're off the masquerade ball! Bridgerton season 4 reveals Benedict will be at its heart

Bridgerton season 4 will follow Benedict Bridgerton's story, it's been officially confirmed by Netflix.

There's been heaps of debate about where the hugely popular series will go next, but Netflix confirmed via a short teaser clip below that the fourth series will be all about Benedict.

The fun clip declares: "Next season's most compelling match will be unmasked. Welcome to the marriage mart, Benedict…". And it ends with 36-year-old Benedict actor Luke Thompson answering a door to someone saying: "We’re fitting you for a suit". Luke replies: "I already have an outfit for tonight." "Oh no it's not for tonight… it’s for the masquerade ball..."

Yes, the mysterious masquerade ball is at the heart of the new series as the makers adapt Julia Quinn's book, "An Offer From a Gentleman".

Here's the book plot description from Amazon (note we don't know if the Netflix version will exactly follow this but it gives you a good idea): "Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball — or that she would be spinning in the arms of her 'Prince Charming’ — the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton.

"But when the clock strikes midnight, Sophie's enchanting evening ends. Since that night Benedict has been able to think of nothing but the bewitching young woman, and he's sworn to find and wed his mystery miss. Yet will another unexpectedly steal his heart — and his chance for a fairy tale love?"

If Netflix had been following the book order it would have adapted Benedict's story third, but instead, season 3 focussed on Colin and Penelope's story. Now at last we will get Benedict’s story. However, it could be 2026 before Bridgerton season 4 finally comes out.

Showrunner Jess Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter that it could take two years for the next season to air: "We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language. The writing takes a very long time as well, so we're kind of on a two-year pace, we're trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range."