Who is John Stirling? Everything you need to know about Bridgerton's Earl of Kilmartin

Victor Alli plays John Stirling in Bridgerton. Image: Getty

The Earl of Kilmartin has just been introduced in Bridgerton, with the character in Julia Quinn’s books known for his Scottish connections.

Bridgerton has returned to television screens, and with the first half of episodes ending on a cliffhanger we’ve decided to take a look at one of the ‘Ton’s latest additions: John Stirling.

The Earl of Kilmartin was formally introduced to audiences during season three of Netflix’s hit series as a potential suitor for Francesca Bridgerton during her society debut.

Taking on the role of Francesca is Hannah Dodd, replacing Ruby Stokes due to scheduling conflicts, while Victor Alli portrays John Stirling – one of Bridgerton’s newest male suitors.

John is the Earl of Kilmartin and, despite his lack of accent, in Julia Quinn’s novels he boasts a Scottish background – but can we expect to see this acknowledged in the show?

Here we break down John Stirling’s character in Bridgerton and what we can possibly expect from going forward.

Who is John Stirling?

In season 3 of Bridgerton, John Stirling is the Earl of Kilmartin and a love interest of Francesca Bridgerton.

It’s as Dodd’s character makes her society debut, with John Stirling one of her admirers. While there is no formal introduction during the pair’s first meeting, the next day he calls upon Francesca at home. They encounter one another several times throughout the episode following this, with Francesca happily receiving his affections.

Hannah Dodds, left, plays Francesca Bridgerton in season three of Netflix's hit series.

While to some it may feel as though this particular relationship is happening very early for a character as shy as Francesca’s, there is a good reason for this.

Who does Francesca Bridgerton marry?

In the books, Francesca Bridgerton marries John Stirling.

Before we discuss the pair further, be warned there are spoilers ahead.

While he plays a pivotal role in Francesca’s journey, John Stirling is her first husband – not her last. After marrying, they share two happy years together before their story is cut short and John tragically dies.

This relationship is key to Francesca’s character development, which is why – unlike the other Bridgertons – it takes place so soon.

English actress Hannah Dodd plays Francesca Bridgerton in the third series of Netflix's hit show.

In an interview with Deadline, Alli shared that he only learned of John’s fate just ahead of his chemistry read with Dodd, but that he was glad he didn’t know much about it.

He said: “I’m quite glad that I didn’t know a lot about it. I think that going into it sort of half blind just made it more exciting, because [there were] a lot more surprises along the way. I really enjoyed that.”

Discussing how he approached the role, the actor also stated that “compartmentalizing” was key.

Alli said: “No one anticipates their death…I did everything in the moment — the balls, the dancing…just being in the moment and enjoying all the moments and not thinking about what happens next. You give your best go on set, you do the work. The writers did such a good job. I don’t know what they’re planning for next season. But I know that it’s going to be incredible. I’m looking forward to it.”

It isn’t until the sixth book in Quinn’s novel series, When He Was Wicked, that Francesca’s love story is told. She eventually marries Michael Stirling, the cousin of her first husband, who inherits his title to become the Earl of Kilmartin.

As for Dodd, she stressed in an interview with Elle Magazine that “it’s just not the time” to focus on her character’s future.

Will Michael Stirling appear in Bridgerton season 3?

We don’t yet know if Michael Stirling will appear in season 3 of Bridgerton.

Michael’s first introduction to Francesca comes just ahead of her wedding to his cousin – 36 hours before, to be precise – so it is possible that “London’s most infamous rake” will soon make his debut.

If we were to see Michael introduced it could mean exploring the Stirlings’ connection to Scotland further.

However, Netflix were keen to keep Victor Alli’s role as John Stirling tightly under wraps ahead of the season premiere, so it’s unlikely that we will learn more until the second half of the season is released.

Bridgerton’s Earl of Kilmartin is from Scotland

While John Stirling has so far lacked a Scottish accent, he does retain the title Earl of Kilmartin and in the books Julia Quinn explicitly states that the Stirling family is from Scotland.

Kilmartin is a small village in Argyll and Bute. It is best known for its location at the centre of Kilmartin Glen, which is said to the richest concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in the country.

Carnasserie Castle in Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland. Image: Rixie/Adobe Stock

In Romancing Mr Bridgerton, the book which season 3 is based on, Penelope Featherington gives a brief rundown of Francesca’s situation sharing that she “divided her time between her late husband’s family in Scotland and her own in London” and that while in town she stayed at Kilmartin House.

It’s worth nothing that Netflix have significantly changed the timeline of events from the books. The show skipped ahead – ignoring book three, which centres on Benedict Bridgerton – to focus on Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s romance.

Will Bridgerton head to Scotland?

If we were to see Scotland represented in the Netflix show it isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

The country features more heavily in book six, with Michael Stirling describing how he and his cousin grew up in the village, as well as various other Kilmartin properties such as Kilmartin House in Edinburgh, Kilmartin Cottage, Kilmartin Abbey and Kilmartin Hall.

Scotland becoming a location in the Bridgerton universe all depends on how showrunners decide to tackle Francesca’s storyline, as well as the order in which they do so.

But perhaps the Netflix series could increase tourism to Kilmartin, if they choose to head north in later seasons.