Colin And Penelope Age Gap
TL;DR: The age gap between Colin and Penelope in Bridgerton is approximately 5 years. Colin is portrayed as being in his mid-20s, while Penelope is about 19 or 20. This gap is consistent with the timeline of the show and the original book series.
Colin Bridgerton
March 2, 1791
Penelope Featherington
April 8, 1796
Colin And Penelope Age Difference Infographic
Why Does Everyone Care About Polin's Age Gap?
Here's the tea: When Netflix decided to skip Benedict's book and jump straight to Colin and Penelope for Season 3, they had to solve a massive timeline problem. The books give these two over a decade to mature separately before finding love. The show? They had about three years to work with, max.
Showrunner Jess Brownell basically said "we can't keep playing the oblivious Colin card forever" and honestly, fair point. Book Colin had the excuse of barely knowing Penelope for most of those years. Show Colin? He's been writing her letters and calling her his best friend while simultaneously friend-zoning her in public.
The real kicker: While the characters got younger, the actors went the opposite direction—Luke Newton (Colin) is actually six years younger than Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) in real life.
What's the Actual Timeline Damage Here?
Book Polin had this whole "overlooked wallflower becomes confident woman" arc that took literal years to unfold. At 28, book Penelope had accepted spinsterhood and built her Lady Whistledown empire from a place of genuine invisibility. Her asking Colin for a kiss came from quiet desperation, not hot girl summer energy.
Show Polin? They compressed all that character development into approximately five minutes and a makeover montage. Instead of Colin's travel journals being thoughtful travelogues that showcase his writing talent, we got... checks notes... a sex diary. The fandom response ranged from "get it, Colin!" to "straight to horny jail."
Age-Gap Files investigation reveals: This isn't just about numbers—it's about completely different life stages and motivations.
How Does Polin Stack Up Against Other Bridgerton Couples?
The Bridgerton writers have been playing fast and loose with age gaps since day one:
- Daphne & Simon: 8 years in the books → 10 years on screen (they went bigger!)
- Anthony & Kate: 9 years in the books → 3-4 years on screen (practically peers now)
- Colin & Penelope: 5 years both ways, but the context? Totally different
Timeline receipts show the writers consistently sacrifice book canon for TV pacing. The Marina Thompson subplot? Pure show invention to give Colin something dramatic to do while Penelope pined. Those sweet letter-writing scenes in Season 2? Also made up, but at least they gave us "You are Pen. You do not count"—a line that launched a thousand hurt/comfort fanfics.
Plot twist incoming: The age change actually makes Colin look worse, not better...
Why Did Aging Them Down Create New Problems?
Book Colin keeping his distance from teenage Penelope when he was 21? Responsible king behavior. Show Colin being best friends with Penelope for years and still not noticing her feelings? That's giving either "emotionally obtuse" or "willfully cruel," and neither is cute.
The show tried to fix this with the "charm lessons" plotline (another invention), but that just created new issues. Now we have 24-year-old Colin teaching 19-year-old Penelope how to flirt with other men, which is a special kind of torture even Jane Austen didn't think of.
By the numbers:
- Book Penelope had 13 years of Lady Whistledown experience
- Show Penelope has maybe 3 years tops
- Book Colin discovered her identity after they were engaged
- Show Colin found out right before the wedding (drama!)
What Did Fans Actually Think?
Reddit threads and Twitter storms reveal the fandom split into clear camps. Book purists mourned the loss of "mature, worldly Colin who writes actual travel journals." Show-only fans defended baby Colin's glow-up journey and his "I'm now a rake because I went to one brothel" arc.
The real controversy? How the compressed timeline makes Penelope's Whistledown activities seem more vindictive. When you're 19 and destroying people's lives, it hits different than when you're 28 and have watched society ignore you for over a decade.
The verdict from Age-Gap Files: Sometimes the age gap number stays the same, but everything else changes.
Where Does Polin Go From Here?
Season 3 gave us the friends-to-lovers speedrun, complete with That Carriage Scene™ (spiritually faithful to the books but happening for completely different reasons). The writers managed to squeeze proposal, wedding, Whistledown reveal, and reconciliation into about three episodes, which is either impressive or concerning depending on your perspective.
The actors' real-life age reversal adds a meta layer—Nicola Coughlan bringing gravitas to teenage Penelope while Luke Newton channels boyish energy into supposedly worldly Colin. It shouldn't work, but chemistry is chemistry.
Here's what matters: Whether you prefer spinster Penelope finding love at 28 or best friends Polin discovering feelings at 19/24, both versions prove that sometimes the right person is worth waiting for—even if Netflix won't let you wait a full decade.
Do you think Polin's compressed timeline helped or hurt their love story? Are we getting better drama or just faster drama?
Curious about your own age compatibility? Try our Age Difference Calculator for instant insights.
FAQ
How old are Penelope and Colin?
In Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton is about 24 years old in season 3, while Penelope Featherington is around 21, making their age gap roughly 3 years.
Is Penelope 37 in real life?
Yes, Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, is 37 years old in real life. She was born on January 9, 1987.
What is the age gap between Lord Debling and Penelope?
Lord Debling is about 28 years old, while Penelope is around 21 in Bridgerton season 3. This places their age gap at approximately 7 years.
What is the age gap between colin and daphne?
Colin and Daphne Bridgerton have about a 3-year age gap. Daphne is the eldest daughter and roughly 1–2 years older than Anthony, while Colin is the third child in the family.