'Bridgerton' season 2 casts 'Sex Education' star Simone Ashley as female lead

Netflix has cast Simone Ashley to play Kate Sharma, the new love interest of Anthony Bridgerton in season 2 of the period drama "Bridgerton."

Ashley, best known for her role as "Untouchables" member Olivia Hanan in "Sex Education," will play the character of a headstrong woman. Newly arrived in London, Anthony will have his sights set on courting her. She may be a challenge to the highly-eligible bachelor though, as she is a "young woman who suffers no fools."

The addition of Kate Sharma in "Bridgerton" season 2 is in line with the story for the second book in Julia Quinn's romance novels, which the show is based on. The focus will now shift to the eldest Bridgerton sibling as he moves on from a failed relationship in season 1 and searches for a new partner.

"We left him at the end of the first season at a bit of a crossroads, so I'm looking forward to jumping in and discovering how he fares on the marriage market," showrunner Chris Van Dusen said about Anthony's fate in "Bridgerton" season 2.

The series took the liberty of changing Kate's last name though. In Quinn's second book, called "The Viscount Who Loved Me," her name is Kate Sheffield. The creative team behind the show reimagined the character to be of Indian descent according to Deadline. This is in keeping with the introduction of the multi-racial world of 1880s London's high society in season 1.

Van Dusen confirmed Ashley's casting in season 2 in a tweet as he wrote, "Meet Miss Kate Sharma, #Bridgerton fans. Get ready, Viscount.

Netflix also announced her addition to the cast of the series in a separate tweet.

Nicola Coughlan, who played Penelope Featherington a.k.a. Lady Whistledown in season 1, also welcomed Ashley to the cast.

"This is so exciting!!! Welcome to our new Leading Lady!" she wrote as she told a fan that she has yet to meet her co-star and learned about the casting just like everyone else did.

Ashley has yet to comment on her female lead role as Kate Sharma in "Bridgerton" season 2. Meanwhile, Jonathan Bailey, who will reprise his role as Anthony, reacted to news of her casting on Instagram.