Fan's delight as work trip turns into Bridgerton ball

A self-confessed Bridgerton superfan said she was "utterly starstruck" after being surprised with an elaborate invitation to the new season premiere of the hit Netflix show.

Sarah Taylor thought she was travelling to a first aid course for work with her best friend Hannah Hardy in Newark, Nottinghamshire, earlier this month.

As part of the facade, Taylor started writing the name of her favourite show on a white board during a fake ice-breaking exercise, before the wall suddenly parted and revealed a Regency-era ball.

Taylor was then introduced as "Lady Sarah of County Durham" - before being ushered on to a red and gold throne and cordially invited to the season four premiere in Paris.

The surprise was part of Netflix's promotion of the new series of Bridgerton, which was released on the streaming website on Thursday.

Thousands of fans were nominated by their friends for the exclusive invitation to Paris as part of the promotional competition.

Hardy put forward her best friend - a teaching assistant of children with additional educational needs - who she said "totally deserves it".

"She just lives her life for other people, she's always doing something for someone else, she puts everyone else before herself.

"She's constantly helping other people and I just thought it's about time that she got something back in return for all the good she does for other people," she said.

The pair, from Chester-le-Street in County Durham, arrived in Newark where a number of clues passed Taylor by on her way to a training centre based within the town hall.

A rail replacement service in the form of a horse and carriage, Regency-era hairstyles and a three-tiered cake did not seem to give the game away.

When the makeshift training room eventually gave way to the Bridgerton-esque ball, Taylor was in disbelief.

"At first I thought 'oh my gosh I've broken a door' and then I thought I'd interrupted somebody's wedding.

"I tried to kind of cower into the corner and I thought 'what is happening?'

"I heard the Bridgerton reference but I thought 'surely this can't be for me'," the 34-year-old told the BBC.

As the invitation to the season four premiere was announced, Taylor's family appeared from behind her throne in an emotional moment.

"It's just an absolute dream, stuff like this doesn't happen to people like me," she added.

Taylor and Hardy attended the premiere in Paris earlier this month, where they walked the red carpet and met the cast.

Taylor also received a video call from actress Nicola Coughlan, who played the role of Penelope Featherington in the series.

The surprise, footage of which was filmed and shared on social media by Netflix, was also a coup for the town of Newark.

A number of local businesses were involved in the plan as well as Newark Town Council, which allowed its Grade I listed Georgian town hall ballroom form part of the special moment.

Bakery and cafe The Crumbly Bun was behind the huge cake, which was delivered to the training offices after Taylor and Hardy's arrival.

Owner Jayson Moran and his team had one day to order the ingredients and 48 hours to make the cake.

The bakery was given a theme of Regency, but with no hints about what exactly the cake was for.

"It was the biggest that we've ever done and probably the biggest that we'll ever do," Moran, 47, said.

He added: "There was a lot of buzz because absolutely nobody knew what happening and so the team did very well to keep things under the wraps considering the scale of the production.

"One of the most exciting things for me is that it brings attention to the town."

Jessica Kingsley, 24, works at Jane Youngs - a clothing store in the town where one of the many camera crews were based during the day of filming.

"It was really exciting because we didn't really know exactly what was going on, were all just trying to work it out and then we got the video [on social media] and it all made sense," she said.

"It was lovely for the town to have that something a bit different for us."

The events coordinator at Newark Town Hall, Victoria Penarski, said the short film had put Newark "firmly on the map".

"It's a small little place that no-one's necessarily heard of.

"The London film crew came up and they absolutely loved it," she said.

As a fan of the series, Penarski added: "I think it's a huge deal to be associated with something so big and a series as big as Bridgerton."

Taylor and Hardy said they planned to return to Newark for a night out, after their first "unbelievable" visit.

While part one of the series was launched on Thursday, part two will not be available until 26 February.