London Braces for Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2 as Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha Ignite Premiere Buzz
Cast appearances at BFI Southbank and BBC Radio One fuel anticipation hours before Netflix drops the final four episodes
London, February 25: By the time the sun dipped behind the Thames, the crowd outside BFI Southbank had taken on that restless, pre-premiere hum London does so well. A little bit glamour, a little bit chaos. Teenagers in borrowed tiaras shuffled alongside seasoned theatre regulars who claimed they just happened to be “in the area.” No one was fooling anyone. This was about Bridgerton, and everyone knew it.
Tomorrow, Netflix releases Season 4, Part 2. Tonight felt like the last deep breath before the plunge.
Inside, the screening drew the expected mix of press, influencers and industry faces. Outside, though, was where the real temperature check lived. Fans pressed toward the barricades the moment Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha stepped onto the carpet. Not screaming, exactly. More like a collective swell. Phones lifted in near unison. A few voices cut through the air calling “Benedict!” as if the character himself might turn around.
Thompson looked comfortable in the spotlight, which is not always the case with actors who spend most of their time inside corsets and candlelit drawing rooms. Ha carried the kind of composed energy that suggests she understands how closely she is being watched right now. This is her first season stepping into the Ton as Sophie Baek, and the scrutiny has been intense. Not hostile. Just intense.
Their red carpet dynamic, easy and lightly teasing, has already ricocheted across social media. Clips from Monday night were circulating within minutes. A shared laugh here. A shoulder touch there. Fans have dissected less.
A Romance With Stakes
This season’s arc has been billed as a Cinderella story, though that label feels almost too tidy. Benedict’s relationship with Sophie has never been simple. Class hangs over it like a low ceiling. The fantasy is lush, yes. But the risks are real inside the world the show has built.
During a stop at BBC Radio One earlier Tuesday, Thompson described the final episodes as “unsettling in a good way.” Later, at Global Radio Studios, he and Ha spoke carefully about how Part 2 forces their characters to confront choices that cannot be undone. Neither gave anything concrete away. They did not need to.
Fans have spent weeks arguing online about Benedict’s proposal arrangement from Part 1. Was it romantic? Was it naïve? Was it selfish dressed up as devotion? Tomorrow will answer at least some of that. Or complicate it further.
What gives this storyline its edge is the imbalance. Sophie does not move through society with the safety net Benedict has always had. That tension is not theoretical. It is embedded in every ballroom glance and every private exchange. If previous seasons luxuriated in longing, this one leans harder into consequence.
The return of Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma Bridgerton adds weight to that dynamic. Their marriage, forged through friction in Season 2, now serves as both example and warning. Promotional footage hints they will have opinions about Benedict’s decisions. Strong ones.
A City Already In Spotlight Mode
The timing could not be more theatrical. London is still buzzing from the BAFTA Awards, and celebrity sightings have spilt into fashion houses and hotel lobbies all week.
Snoop Dogg has been photographed at multiple high-profile events in the capital following the ceremony, cutting an unmistakable silhouette among tailored tuxedos and couture gowns. His presence, equal parts playful and polished, has added another layer of spectacle to an already crowded cultural calendar.
Across the Atlantic, Octavia Spencer appeared Tuesday on NBC’s TODAY show, discussing her upcoming film Tow and reflecting briefly on her work with Kate Hudson in the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told. According to NBC News, both actresses are entering the early stretch of what could become a competitive 2026 awards season. Hudson, for her part, has also been seen in London in recent days, attending events tied to London Fashion Week.
Even Thompson dipped into that orbit earlier this week, appearing at a Burberry runway show. Fashion editors have taken note of his evolution from understated theatre actor to one of the more quietly assured dressers on the red carpet circuit. It is a different kind of performance, but no less strategic.
The Hours Before Midnight
Still, all of that is background noise compared to what happens when the clock flips.
Netflix has confirmed the release timing: 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time in the United States, 8:00 a.m. GMT in the United Kingdom. That synchronised drop all but guarantees a tidal wave of reactions before breakfast in London.
Outside the premiere Monday night, one university student admitted she had already warned her flatmates not to disturb her in the morning. Another said she planned to wake at dawn, brew coffee and watch alone before opening any group chats. There was nervous laughter in both confessions.
That is the strange alchemy of this series. It is escapism wrapped in silk and string quartets. But it also creates a kind of collective anticipation that feels almost old-fashioned. Appointment viewing in the streaming age.
By this time tomorrow, Benedict Bridgerton’s fate will be public property. Every decision parsed. Every line quoted. Some fans will be elated. Others will be furious. That is part of the ritual, too.
For now, though, the barricades have been cleared from outside BFI Southbank. The carpet has been rolled away. The Thames moves as steadily as ever, indifferent to cliffhangers and corsets.
London, on the other hand, is waiting.
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A bi-coastal pop culture critic and former indie screenwriter, Gia covers Hollywood, streaming wars, and subculture shifts with razor wit and Gen Z intuition. If it’s going viral, she already knew about it.
