Luke Thompson offers his take on Benedict Bridgerton’s sexuality

“Is Benedict Bridgerton gay?” is trending everywhere online today, after a steamy threesome scene in the recent series of Bridgerton pretty much broke the internet.

In season three’s final episodes, Benedict ends up having sexual relations with Lady Tilley Arnold, who he had been seeing in secret previously, and her companion Paul after declaring that he has “love to give in abundance”.

Benedict’s sexuality has been the subject of conjecture since the first season, with many suggesting that he is “queer-coded” and the actor who plays him, Luke Thompson, has confirmed that this wasn’t an accident.

Speaking to Bustle, Thompson said: “It’s always been part of the writing that Benedict feels slightly curious about his desires, rather than certain in what he wants and is looking for.”

Even more than that, Thompson is pretty convinced that his character is pansexual, even if that might not be explicitly stated due to the time period the show is set in.

“Male sexuality, particularly, can feel boxy in the way that it’s explored. Let’s be clear, it was an extremely repressive period. By our modern terms, the closest [descriptor] would be something along the lines of pansexuality – being attracted to the way that someone thinks and feels, regardless of gender,” Thompson said.

“That’s a word that could be used. But what’s refreshing about it, certainly in the way that it’s being discovered at the moment, is that there is a sense of label-lessness about it,” he added.

Pansexuality refers to the sexual or romantic attraction towards people of all genders, regardless of their biological sex or gender identity.

Though this may appease some fans, others are keen on having an explicitly-stated-and-labelled queer identity and storyline within the popular Netflix show.

As soon as the second half of Bridgerton season three was released, speculation immediately turned to which sibling will be given the spotlight for season four.

Is Francesca Bridgerton a lesbian?

One recent bombshell LGBTQ+ revelation, which coincided with the Benedict Bridgerton threesome, is that Francesca Bridgerton will begin a gay relationship in season four of the hit show, series showrunner Jess Brownell has revealed.

Francesca finally found love with John Stirling in season three, despite confiding in Violet that she is still trying to discover herself. Now, Brownell has said Francesca will truly find herself in the next season – falling in love with John’s cousin, Michaela.

We won’t know the full details for a while though, as Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter recently that fans will have to wait two more years for the next season.

She said: “We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language. And 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.”

However, Brownell did confirm that the writers are nearly done with the scripts for season four so we will hopefully find out some more details about Benedict and Francesca’s love lives soon.