Prepare to see some new faces around the ballrooms of Bridgerton: Three cast members have joined the next season as recurring guest stars. Their upcoming characters will offer a fresh peek into the lives of Season 5 leads Lady Francesca Stirling (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), and beyond. 

The Sandman actor Tega Alexander will play Christopher Anderson, a mysterious bachelor whose surname is quite familiar to Bridgerton fans (and one beloved Bridgerton mama). Carnival Row’s Jacqueline Boatswain has been cast as Helen Stirling, the charming mother of Michaela. And Mobland’s Gemma Knight Jones will portray Lady Elizabeth Ashworth, a member of high society who knows more than meets the eye. 

All three new characters will enter Bridgerton as Francesca and Michaela’s love story takes center stage. Season 5, which has begun filming, will spotlight the titular family’s third daughter as she reenters the marriage mart two years after the death of her dear husband, Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli). While Francesca is determined to follow a practical path, she’ll begin to question her resolve when John’s cousin Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate. Francesca must decide if she wants to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue the inner passions that Michaela stokes.  

Want to know more about who will join Francesca and Michaela on their romantic adventure? The official character descriptions offer some tantalizing clues: 

• Tega Alexander (Mobland, The Sandman) as Christopher Anderson, a Regency-era Casanova who could give the Bridgerton bachelors a run for their money. Yet behind his cheeky facade lies a current of self-doubt that threatens to unravel him. The son of Lord Anderson will make his mark on society, one way or another…
• Jacqueline Boatswain (Carnival Row, The Blame) as Helen Stirling, Michaela’s mother. Mrs. Stirling is the very source of her bold daughter’s spirit. Like any mama, Helen seeks to guide — and occasionally push — her daughter through London's social season, with equal measures of vivaciousness and tough love.
• Gemma Knight Jones (Mobland, Been So Long) as Lady Elizabeth Ashworth, Michaela’s old friend. She serves as Michaela’s confidante and guide to London. Beneath Elizabeth's playful charm lies a grounded realist who is wise to the unspoken rules of society.

You’ll meet these newcomers to the ton — and the actors who play them — when Bridgerton returns. As you await Season 5, keep coming back to Tudum for the news even Lady Whistledown couldn’t uncover. And dive deeper into Mayfair by streaming Bridgerton: The Official Podcast. 

Bridgerton Season 5 Leads Answer 10 Burning Questions About the New Love Story