Dearest Gentle Reader, if you’ve been missing the bonnets, bosoms and Bon ton of Bridgerton high society, fear not, because Part One (four episodes) of Season Four is now on Netflix to relieve the longing.

And it’s already looking to be a strong contender for the best season yet.

The enormously successful series from Shonda Rhimes’s Shondaland production company has redefined the type of show that focuses on the rituals and social mores of upper-class British society.

With its often raunchy depictions of sex and use of contemporary music – Coldplay and Taylor Swift are two of the artists whose music features in the early episodes of Season 4 – Bridgerton has garnered a swath of younger fans who might otherwise give this type of entertainment a miss.

It’s a small but significant touch that informs the viewer that this isn’t an historically accurate depiction and, of course, it’s not the only element that veers from historical reality. When Bridgerton first came to our screens, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at actors of colour playing British nobility. The original novels by Julia Quinn did not have this feature and it was a conscious choice by Shonda Rhimes to present an alternative reality during the Regency era.

It’s basically a fantasy, and you either go with it or not

While there’s validity to people having genuine concerns about this type of liberty being taken and presented in a period when the British were still prolifically involved in the slave trade, it’s probably a good idea to take Bridgerton as the alternative reality that was intended.

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It’s basically a fantasy, and you either go with it or not. The major benefit is the array of ethnically diverse actors able to show what they can do, playing against the types of roles they’ve often been offered in the past.

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The one major stand-out for this gentle viewer regarding Season Four is that the new heroine, Sophie Baek (Australian Yerin Ha – Bad Behaviour, The Survivors), resides in the “downstairs” of a big house as a maid rather than being one of the hoity-toity types “upstairs” who usually figure in the main plots.

But all is not what it appears to be, because Sophie “don’t talk half-proper” and sounds out of place mingling with the other servants.

Without us knowing too much about her at the beginning of Episode One, Sophie goes to Lady Bridgerton’s masquerade ball for “the ton” – a shortening of Bon ton, a French expression meaning “good manners” and referring to the who’s who of high society.

There, the masked young woman meets the unmarried second Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson) – a notorious rake who bed-hops like there’s no tomorrow, and last season graduated from sleeping with prostitutes and actresses to sampling male partners as well.

But, of course, if he’s to marry he must have a young woman who’s completely “pure” and socially acceptable. Not everything in Bridgerton is a fantasy.

So far, I still think Season One was the best, but perhaps that was because of my penchant for Regé-Jean Page as the dashing Duke of Hastings and his passionate relationship with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor).

Others have favoured Season Two, with Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) navigating their way through a tricky situation involving sisterly loyalty.

There was also a lot of love for Season Three, when the Regency-era equivalent of Gossip Girl, Lady Whistledown, had her identity finally revealed as Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan). In light of that last point, it seems a bit strange to still have Julie Andrews narrate the show as Lady Whistledown, but no doubt there’d be an outcry if the legend was given her marching orders.

Bridgerton’s Season Four certainly starts strong, with Sophie’s difficult circumstances automatically inducing strong feelings of empathy. We actually really care what happens to her, and there’s genuine chemistry between Ha and Thompson when they gaze yearningly at each other while dancing alone outside as the ball goes on inside the mansion.

There’s also a Cinderella component introduced, with a wicked stepmother type played by Katie Leung – none other than the actor who was the controversial Harry Potter character, Cho Chang. So far, all she needs is a moustache to twirl – she’s the character you love to hate.

Possibly the most likable Bridgerton family member, Eloise (Claudia Jessie), declares herself “on the shelf” – a social fate worse than death for a woman back in the day, while Lady Bridgerton’s own love life is heating up with the continued presence of Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). And who could begrudge the widow a bit of romance considering the trouble her large brood bring her?

And what would Bridgerton be without the petulant and demanding Queen Charlotte (Golda Rocheuvel)? This time round, her friendship with Lady Danbury (Adjoah Andoh) is threatened when the latter dares to suggest she might be excused from the royal circle so she can go travelling to her motherland. Methinks the Queen has other ideas, exposing the character’s vulnerability in a way we’ve rarely seen.

Episode Four ends with a cliffhanger, meaning that Bridgerton devotees will be hanging out for the final four instalments when they drop on February 28.

Bridgerton Season 4, Part One, is now on Netflix.