The actress and model has previously appeared in Enola Holmes 2 and Anatomy of a Scandal

Polin season is almost here, and fans are abuzz with excitement! After what feels like an eternity, Bridgerton will make a grand return to Netflix on May 16, focusing on the love story between Lady Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.

Set to be the sauciest season yet, the third instalment will also introduce new cast members, including Hannah Dodd. Following Ruby Stokes’ exit from the series, Hannah, 28, is taking the reins as Francesca – the latest Bridgerton sibling to debut in society. Intrigued? Here’s what you need to know about the English actress and model…

Hannah Dodd grew up in Colchester and studied at the Evolution Foundation College

© Getty
Hannah Dodd grew up in Colchester and studied at the Evolution Foundation College

Born on May 17th, 1995 in Colchester, Hannah trained at the Evolution Foundation College, earning a degree in 2017. After signing with Select Model Management, the 28-year-old worked alongside Romeo Beckham on a major campaign for Burberry in 2014. She has also appeared on the covers of Rollacoaster (2022) and Wonderland (2023).

Hannah Dodd at the Nominees' Party for the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024© Getty
The actress made her television debut in Find Me in Paris (2018)

As for her acting career, the Bridgerton star made her big debut in 2018, appearing as Thea Raphael in the Hulu series, Find Me in Paris. Among her other television credits, Hannah has featured in episodes of Harlots (2018-19), Pandora (2020) and Anatomy of a Scandal (2022).

Adding to her ever-expanding portfolio, Hannah is no stranger to the big screen either and if she seems familiar you may have spotted her in Eternals (2019) or Enola Holmes 2.

Away from her work on set, Hannah boasts 206k followers on Instagram, which will most likely quadruple when Bridgerton premieres! She appears to be single.

Speaking to The Italian Reve in 2022, Hannah opened up about playing Francesca Bridgerton. “I had no idea what I’d got myself in with the character,” she began.

“I loved the show, I’d watched the show but I’d never read the books, so the first thing I did was go and get her book because I needed to understand who it was that I was playing. I suppose all of the other questions I had are quite specific, and I might give away spoilers that I would get in so much trouble for [laughs]. I think I just asked myself, ‘Who is she?’ and I got right into that book straight away to try and find some answers.”

Bridgerton. Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton in episode 301 of Bridgerton. © Netflix
Hannah read Francesca’s book in the Bridgerton series to understand her

She also noted that she took piano, etiquette and dialect lessons to prepare for the role.

Asked to describe Francesca, Hannah replied: “She’s an introvert and I think, without giving too much away, the other siblings are really happy in big environments and they thrive in big environments and they know who they are and feed off of each other.

Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton in episode 302 of Bridgerton© Netflix
Hannah also took piano, etiquette and dialect lessons to get into character

“I think Francesca has all of that, but she prefers her one-on-one’s, she prefers her small groups, and she really thinks a lot and spends a lot of time with her thoughts. I think where they’re all quite happy to banter and compete, she’s happy to observe – she doesn’t feel the need to compete for attention. The little things make her content. She’s really happy reading a book inside, she’s really happy playing music, she’s really happy to do the little things in life, which I think is a really wonderful quality to have.”