She's also one of the very few people who knew about Marina Thompson's (Ruby Barker) out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a scandal that Lady Whistledown shockingly exposes — and she had plenty of motive to expose it, too, being that Penelope was deeply in love with Colin (who was ready to marry Marina without knowing about her pregnancy from another man). You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Who is Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton? Penelope was impressed that she could have a job and still write the letters. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Halle Berry Stuns in a Sheer, Sexy Red Dress, Savannah Guthrie Shares Emotional Insta With Fans, See Steve Harvey's Laughing Fit on 'Family Feud', Regé-Jean Page Won't Be in 'Bridgerton' Season 2, All the Details About 'Virgin River' Season 3. It looks like we'll have to wait to find out, dear readers, but we're definitely already on the edge of our seats for the next chapter of the Bridgerton saga! Is Sandra Oh Coming Back to 'Grey’s Anatomy'? "For me, it felt like it was time," Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen explained in an interview with Decider. This clearly disappointed Penelope, who's loved Colin from afar for years. Whether you enjoy some steamy romance or you're just a sucker for a good period drama, it seems as if everyone's latest TV obsession is Bridgerton. And in true evil villain fashion, she blackmails her for £10,000. Lady Whistledown is none other than Eloise’s best friend, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). The money she earns is deposited in a secret account in her name. Gossip Girl may have waited six long seasons to reveal the true identity of the titular character, but Bridgerton didn't wait — it unmasked its anonymous narrator in the last episode of the first season. Now, for one final question: Will all of this come to light on the show? The book Romancing Mister Bridgerton gives us the backstory we need. Bridgerton season 2: Lady Whistledown’s identity exposed as Penelope star teases bombshell (Image: Netflix/Getty) Bridgerton: Penelope was revealed as … Specifically, Lady Whistledown isn't revealed to be Penelope until the fourth novel, titled Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Here's why Penelope Featherington decided to be Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. But in the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown isn't revealed to the ton until 11 years after Penelope began the papers at age 17. "So, if you went back, you'll spot me in a couple of scenes like 'Where's Waldo.'". Aside from its take on London's high society during Regency, it also drew justified comparisons to Gossip Girl due to its own mysterious gossip writer in Lady Whistledown. Penelope went to visit Eloise and learned that Eloise had figured out that Lady Whistledown was Genevieve. In episode 6's "Swish," just before Colin and Marina elope, Lady Whistledown reveals to all that Marina is hiding a pregnancy and has been since arriving in London at the beginning of the season. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Yes, the quick witted and outspoken anonymous gossip columnist (played by Nicola Coughlan and voiced by Julie Andrews) is the shy and unassuming best friend of Eloise, and also secretly desperately in love with Colin Bridgerton. 11 Hints From "Bridgerton" That Pointed To Lady Whistledown's Identity Before The Big Reveal. One of the hilarious tells that Penelope is Whistledown is that the gossipmonger saves her meanest barbs for the Featehringtons. Speaking of the rumormonger, the tweets about Penelope being Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton are just more proof her Society Papers are the dominant talk of both the ton and Twitter. (Obviously, some major spoilers ahead!). Each "Bridgerton" Sibling Has Their Own Love Story, Bridgerton's Biggest Differences From the Books, What the Bee In the Bridgerton Finale Means, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Netflix's Bridgerton speeds up this timeline by revealing Penelope Featherington — played by Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan — as Lady Whistledown during the events of The Duke and I. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Danielle Brooks on Playing Mahalia Jackson, "The Serpent" Is Your Next True Crime Obsession, How Aretha Franklin Was Impacted by Her Husbands, Drew Barrymore's Key to Life? It's this unrequited infatuation that gave us the biggest hint to her identity earlier in the season—but we'll get to that in a moment. If you really think about it, though, Penelope being Lady Whistledown actually makes sense: She had access to every high-society function as a Featherington, where she was able to expertly blend into the background and fly under the radar to overhear some of the town's best gossip. It's a huge reveal -- the secret identity of this writer had been the subject of speculation throughout the series, and was being investigated by multiple characters. Colin, whose relationship with Penelope grows closer by the day (they get married in the books, FYI) is convinced Eloise is the culprit until he secretly follows Penelope to a church deep in London. Because Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown is none other than... Penelope Featherington. The fact that Penelope is Whistledown does set up some enticing places for Bridgerton to potentially visit in future seasons. “There'd be certain things where the director would say, ‘We want to stand you here and do this.’ And I'd think, ‘I can't, because in my column, I write that they meet at this point,'" Nicola told Town & Country. While Netflix's Bridgerton stays true to the original book series in regards to the true identity of Lady Whistledown, the big reveal actually came a lot later in the books. Dear reader, we'll just have to wait and see. So how on earth did we miss any foreshadowing for what now seems obvious? Use Whistledown. We may earn commission from the links on this page. Season one of Bridgerton saw Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan, unveiled as Lady Whistledown Credit: Netflix What were the clues about Lady Whistledown's identity? So basically, Penelope was a super rich independent working woman in the early 19th century—and nobody knew. It's important to remember that the only people who know Whistledown's identity are us, the audience. He then watches her drop off a package in the back of a pew. So why did the show decide to spill the beans on Bridgerton's biggest secret so early on? Again, we look to the books. But the most obvious? For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter. Penelope's secret came out to viewers in the last minutes of the finale when Eloise—who had been desperate to uncover Lady Whistledown—thwarts Queen Charlotte's attempt to trap and unveil her as she makes a trip to the printers. The two end up living happily ever after, with Colin publishing a series of his personal travel journals and Penelope retiring her pseudonym to write a novel based on her life: The Wallflower. Another big clue is the reveal of Miss Thompson’s pregnancy and plot to marry Colin. “Perhaps I will come forward one day," she says. The 34-year-old actress, who plays Penelope Featherington and—spoiler alert—Lady Whistledown, took to Twitter on Saturday, Feb. 20 to share a fun fact about her first scene. Despite being completely hooked to Netflix's Bridgerton, we were shook when we learnt the true identity of Lady Whistledown. "Not Staying Stuck", "Can't" Is Not In Dionne Warwick's Vocabulary, All About OWN's Rich, Fulfilling New Show, Delilah, Cynthia Erivo on Finding Her Inner Aretha, Cierra Glaudé Went From PA to Queen Sugar Director. Desperate times may cause for desperate measures, but I would wager many will think her actions beyond the pale.". In the final moments of Netflix's Bridgerton, the identity of Lady Whistledown is finally revealed to be Penelope Featherington. Spoiler! Our editors handpick the products that we feature. Amidst the hooplah Lady Whistledown publishes her last column, to British society's great disappointment. Penelope then went home and, along with her sisters, fawned over the dresses Genevieve had brought for them. Why trust us? Pen smiles faintly and says, “And I thought you her greatest admirer.” AD Penelope also explained in the books that she donated to charities. We knew that there was a portion of the audience that had read the books and had their thoughts and theories about who Lady Whistledown was. All the Bridgerton clues for Lady Whistledown reveal. Nicola Coughlan’s character is revealed as Lady Whistledown right at the end of the season one finale. he's made a few changes in his adaptation. All Your 'Bridgerton' Season 2 Questions, Answered, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Against Penelope's wishes he reads its contents, where he finds Lady Whistledown's actual last column, which served to shut down her arch nemesis Cressida Twombley's public claim that she was Whistledown. He's both furious, jealous, and impressed with Penelope's secret and agrees to keep it to himself. Penelope is likely someone you least expected, but if you’re a reader of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, then you already knew Penelope is Lady Whistledown herself. How long can Penelope keep up the ruse, and will her secret eventually be exposed to the other characters? Penelope isn’t for one moment considered a possible candidate -- both by Eloise and, Bridgerton seems to presume, by the viewer -- which makes her the perfect person to be Lady Whistledown. Only a trail of broken hearts that makes us wonder if the price we pay is ever worth the fight. This may be the biggest query of them all, as we wonder how and why a 17-year-old Penelope Featherington decided to become the source of all the hottest tea in Regency London. In fact, according to Penelope's own Nicola Coughlan, you'll often see the character lurking in the background in some of the show's key scenes — the very same moments that Whistledown ends up writing about in her column. Then, there was an entirely new group of people that are not as familiar with the books, and have no idea where the story of Lady Whistledown went. ... Lady Whistledown and Penelope both reference famous poet, Lord Byron, in the first episode. We answer these questions below. It was about keeping the mystery alive and fun for fans of the books, but also, never being ahead of it. Well dear reader, regardless of your reasoning, we're about to tell you right now. The only people aware of this information are her cousins, the Featheringtons. Yours truly, Lady Whistledown." Impressed, it was the lawyer's idea to publish her words as a column, and he made all the necessary arrangements with a printer to have them distributed. Fans of the Julia Quinn books that Bridgerton is based on already know that of course. And how did Penelope become the most trusted gossip of the ton? The new Netflix series, which is based on the romance novel series by Julia Quinn and produced by Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes, delivers everything from lavish costumes and gorgeous set design to an absolutely swoon-worthy cast (and everything in between!). If you think about it, Lady Whistledown's secret identity makes so much sense. No one in the Bridgerton world is aware, yet. Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan has dropped a major Bridgerton bombshell. But perhaps one of the best parts about the series is the enigmatic identity of Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), the town's anonymous gossip columnist who shakes up Regency-era London with her all-knowing scandal sheet. Once you learn Penelope is Lady Whistledown, you slowly begin to realize that the writer always seemed to know the same bits of information that the youngest Featherington was privy to. The only way to save him from being trapped into marriage, while also appearing to maintain loyalty to her family's secret? But now, Nicola Coughlan (who played Penelope Featherington - aka Lady Whistledown) in the series , has explained there was actually a major clue in the very first scene of Bridgerton , which we all missed. Interest in unmasking the columnist spikes when Lady Danbury offers £1,000 to the person who can discover her. Well, dear readers, we're happy to say that we have all the answers as to the mysterious woman's identity — and you'll absolutely want to read on for the show's shocking reveal of the biggest secret of the season. They wore the dresses and went to a ball. She's the youngest Featherington daughter—a hopeless romantic with a big heart. Yes, the quick witted and outspoken anonymous gossip columnist (played by Nicola Coughlan and voiced by Julie Andrews) is the shy and unassuming best friend of Eloise, and also secretly desperately in love with Colin Bridgerton. In the very final moments of episode 8, Lady Whistledown is revealed to be none other than Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), the youngest Featherington daughter and the shy, unassuming best friend of Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) — yes, the very same person who continuously attempted to uncover Lady Whistledown's identity throughout the season! Firstly the hint is her in name, Penelope’s nickname is literally Pen aka writing aka Lady Whistledown. "It felt right for the season to end where we end," showrunner Chris Van Dusen tells OprahMag.com. Lady Whistledown is the pseudonym of Penelope Featherington, used to report on the goings-on to manipulate people. Penelope Featherington is revealed as Lady Whistledown in the Bridgerton season 1 finale, which is a twist that adds yet more heartbreak to her story. The dramatic reveal comes a bit sooner than in the books, where readers had to wait for two years until the fourth novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, to learn of Penelope's alter ego. “I think that there were always two tracks for us in the writers’ room, when looking at Lady Whistledown. So, if you're not looking for a spoiler, do not continue this article. Whistledown describes Lady Portia Featherington as a "tasteless, tactless mama," reflecting Penelope's feelings toward her mother. On the surface, the biggest mystery of Season 1 of Bridgerton was the identity of the anonymous gossip who spilled the ton’s tea in a widely circulated leaflet, Lady Whistledown… Which, of course, leads us to the question everyone has been wondering since the very first episode: Who is Lady Whistledown, anyway? Michael Strahan Reveals His New Look Online, The Louvre's Entire Art Collection is Now Online. Because Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown is none other than... Penelope Featherington. At the time of Cressida's blackmail attempt, Penelope knew she had at least £8,426 to her name, which is around £911,257.74 today ($1,230,015.70), according to a nifty inflation calculator. In case you missed it, the shocking final scene shows a hooded figure riding in a carriage as Julie Andrews narrates Lady Whistledown's latest gossip column. Here's why Penelope Featherington decided to be Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. This came as a huge shock for a few reasons: One, she’s so young to be putting together such an ornate operation. Though she plays a pivotal role in “Bridgerton,” it’s not until the final moments of the Season 1 finale that viewers find out the identity of Lady Whistledown — but boy, is it worth the wait. Bridgerton book readers don’t discover that Penelope is Lady Whistledown — or the depths of her feelings for Colin Bridgerton — until Book 4, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. A distraught Penelope tells her now-husband Colin the terrible development, and he comes up with a master plan to save her: tell the truth. Therefore, everyone assumes it's … She's also closest to Penelope, who knew of Marina's plan to have Colin fall in love with her and have a quick wedding so the baby could appear to be his, instead of conceived out of wedlock to another man. The normally shy Featherington shines a coquettish smile as she unveils herself to the audience towards the end of "After The Rain," suggesting she takes some pleasure in her role writing the scandal papers. It turns out that Penelope Featherington was Lady Whistledown all along. Oprah Daily participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It’s… Penelope Featherington! “Lady Whistledown has gone too far this time,” Eloise tells Penelope about their entangled family drama. Not to mention, her own family — the Featheringtons — is often the subject of scathing criticism from Lady Whistledown (which is certainly a genius move to ensure that no one will suspect her!). "I think it sets up future seasons in a really interesting way that I'm excited about.". In the event of a season 2, it'll be interesting to see how Van Dusen continues the storyline since he's made a few changes in his adaptation. When answering this very question for Colin, Penelope said the column was accidentally started when her father's lawyer discovered random musings she'd written down about a miserable first season as a debutante. After the first four years, she gave all the funds she earned to her mother, disguised as money left behind by a great aunt. It seems Penelope, aka Lady Whistledown, was dropping identity hints all along. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. They have four children: Agatha, Thomas, Jane, and George. Never telegraphing where we’re going.". "Though, you must know, dear reader, that decision shall be left entirely up to me. The column read in part, "All is fair in love and war, but some battles leave no victor.