Bridgerton actors tease season 4 prince-and-pauper romance between lead Benedict Bridgerton and a maid

Bridgerton fans got a first glimpse of the hit Netflix show's season four on Friday, which will see a romance blossom between the noble family's second son Benedict and a servant.

At an event in London, showrunner Jess Brownell joined actors Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha to tease photos and a sneak peek video of their characters Benedict Bridgerton and maid Sophie Baek’s upcoming relationship.

“I feel like we spent the first three seasons really digging into the upstairs world and getting to know the rules of the ton,” Brownell said. “So it felt right that after three seasons of doing that we could expand the world out and go downstairs."

The Regency-era romance series is based on the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, with each focusing on a sibling of the Bridgerton family. The third season skipped the third book in Quinn's series about Benedict to focus on his brother Colin and Penelope Featherington.

But the next season, still in production, shines a light on Benedict, who, long reluctant to settle down, becomes mesmerised by a mysterious "lady in silver" at his mother's masquerade ball.

“As a character, we’ve got (Benedict) ... as sort of a little musical theme for most of the seasons and suddenly it’s like, let’s write a whole symphony about him and it's really exciting,” Thompson said of his character, until now a supporting role, being the next focus of the show.

“It is going to bring a fresh energy and vibe to the show,” Ha said of the new romance.

The actors were joined by co-star Golda Rosheuvel, who portrays fan favourite Queen Charlotte. Asked what was in store for her character next season, Rosheuvel said: “I think discovering new avenues ... new friendships maybe and there’s a vulnerability to her that I think will be interesting to see.”