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New Bridgerton season to have same-gender love story

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Returning for a fifth series, the hit period drama will follow the love story between Lady Francesca Stirling, played by Hannah Dodd, and Masali Baduza’s Michaela Stirling, according to the Netflix website, Tudum.

The series, created by showrunner Jess Brownell, will take place two years on from season four, which saw Lord John Stirling die, leaving Francesca widowed and his cousin Michaela without her closest relative and confidant.

The series will follow introverted middle daughter Francesca as she decides to re-enter the marriage mart.

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However, things do not go to plan when Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, forcing Francesca to face her feelings.

Ms Dodd said: “(Queer love stories) have traditionally been excluded from things like period dramas — and queer people did exist, have always existed, and will always exist.”

Ms Baduza added: “It’s been really special to have Jess guide us on this journey, because she’s very excited about this story.

“What we really want to achieve is giving a realistic view of queer love onscreen and (giving them) a happily ever after.”

The costume drama, which is based on a series of books of the same name by Julia Quinn, follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family in their quest to find love.

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Ms Brownell said: “It feels groundbreaking. Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We’re not the first by any means.

“But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.

“We are still always grounding our love stories in the fact that this series is about joy and more than ever, Season 5 is going to be about yearning … Those of us who know what it’s like to be in a sapphic relationship or have a sapphic crush understand that’s so baked into the experience.”

Known for its orchestral and string quartet covers of modern pop songs, Brownell also revealed the season will include a number of queer artists for its musical backdrop.

The latest series followed the Cinderella-style love story between the second-eldest son of the Bridgerton clan, Benedict, played by Luke Thompson, and series newcomer Yerin Ha, who played maid Sophie Baek.

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The show also stars Irish actress Nicola Coughlan, Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, and Sex Education’s Simone Ashley.

Mr Bailey was born in Oxfordshire’s Wallingford in 1988 and grew up in nearby villages, including Benson and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.

He went to school locally, later winning a music scholarship to Magdalen College School in Oxford, before going on to build a high-profile screen and stage career.

Alongside Bridgerton, the 37-year-old has also had award-winning roles in the West End and starred in Broadchurch.

Season five of Bridgerton is already in production and will film outside of London, with a series six already confirmed to follow.





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Oxford News

Faringdon school gets new sensory garden thanks to Tesco

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The garden has been developed at Folly View Primary School and is designed to support pupil wellbeing, creativity, and personal growth by providing a calming and engaging outdoor space.

Funding for the project was secured through a £1,500 grant from the Tesco Community Grants scheme, made possible by votes from shoppers using blue tokens at the Faringdon store.

Muddy Spades, a local gardening business led by Royston Oxendale, also played a key role in bringing the garden to life by donating plants and building bespoke planters for the space.

Richard Evans, chief executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said: “This wonderful sensory garden is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared purpose.

“At Cambrian Learning Trust, we are proud to see Folly View Primary School bringing its core values of belonging, kindness, and aspiration to life in such a meaningful way.

“This space will not only enhance pupils’ wellbeing but also inspire curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.”

The garden will also support the school’s gardening club, offering pupils hands-on opportunities to care for plants and learn about the environment.

The school has thanked Tesco Faringdon, Muddy Spades, the PTA, and everyone involved in turning the garden into a reality.





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Pictures to celebrate World Poetry Day 2026 in Oxfordshire

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UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.

The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”

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This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.

Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.

Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.





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All the Oxfordshire locations used as TV and film sets

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We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.

Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.

Blenheim Palace featured as a key movie set for the James Bond film, Spectre, when it was dressed up as the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome, 2015 (Image: Andrew Walmsley)

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Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.

Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.

Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.





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