How does Bridgerton season 3 differ from the book?

Bridgerton is here, which means fans can sit back and enjoy the first four episodes of season 3 which focuses on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).

The Netflix show's new episodes are based on Julia Quinn's novel Romancing Mr Bridgerton, which has been used as inspiration for the series ever since its first season. What this means is that there are a lot of similarities but also a lot of differences in the first half of season 3.

For those interested in learning how, here is everything you need to know. But be warned there are some spoilers for season 3 part 1 in this article.

How does Bridgerton season 3 differ from the book?

Romancing Mr Bridgerton sees Penelope and Colin take centre stage, with both characters' point-of-view being explored in the novel. Aspects of the story have already been included in season 1 and 2, such as the reveal that Penelope is Lady Whistledown.

Even so, the show starts in the same way as the book, with Colin returning to England after travelling several months abroad and becoming the talk of the Ton.

While viewers know all along that Penelope is the gossip, in the book there is a cat-and-mouse game instigated by Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) to figure out the mystery. Lady Danbury challenges the Ton to try and unmask the real person for £1000, and she believes Penelope is Lady Whistledown but Penelope covers her tracks by saying she thinks Lady Danbury is the writer instead.

This game is not a part of the TV show, though in a way it has been incorporated through Queen Charlotte's (Golda Rosheuvel) interest in finding out who Lady Whistledown is. Penelope's alter-ego is still a secret in part 1 —except from Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) who found out her identity in season 2— so her unmasking and the fallout from it will likely play a part in part 2 of the third season.

Elsewhere, season 3 introduces a new suitor for Penelope: Lord Debling (Sam Phillips). The character is a creation of the TV show, who was brought in to give Penelope some overdue romantic tension onscreen. It is also used as the impetus Colin needs to realise his feelings for Penelope are not platonic, because he risks losing her if he doesn't act.

Eloise and Penelope also don't have a falling out in the book as has been depicted in the series. This is a narrative that was introduced into the show as a way to create drama, it seems. While other plotlines, like the rising in ranks of Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) and his family are entirely new.

Several exchanges between Colin and Penelope are lifted straight from the book, though. Penelope finding Colin's diaries from his travels and remarking on the quality of his writing happens almost verbatim in the book, including Colin cutting his hand open during the exchange.

Penelope also does ask Colin to kiss her in the book because she fears she'll never experience being kissed, though in the series it is Penelope who leaves Colin first. In Quinn's novel, Colin leaves Penelope after feeling guilty for making it seem like he kissed her out of pity but the show's approach gives Penelope more control in the situation.

In the final episode of Part 1, Colin and Penelope passionately kiss in a carriage and this is the same moment the pair confess their feelings for each other in the book. But the lead up to it is very different in the TV show; in the series they end up in a carriage after Colin ruins Penelope's chance of Lord Debling proposing to her, in the book it happens after he discovers she is Lady Whistledown.

Colin finds out about her alter-ego in the book after finding a letter that shows she is the gossip, rather than Cressida who had claimed to be Whistledown. The pair argue over this, with Penelope saying she won't let Cressida take the credit for her work and calling out Colin's hypocrisy.

In the heat of the moment, Penelope remarks that she is not beautiful and Colin says she is before kissing her — he then proposes to her after their kiss, as is depicted in the series.

Fans of the show will recognise that Colin's discovery of Penelope's identity as Lady Whistledown is the same as how Eloise finds this out in season 2. This is because the plotline was adapted for the series, so it is unclear how Colin will find out her identity in part 2 — but it may well be Eloise who tells him.

Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is out now on Netflix, part 2 will be released on Thursday, 13 June.