British sitcom legend Steve Coogan has landed an unexpected role in season four of the acclaimed mystery drama The White Lotus. Alan Partridge star Coogan will be joined on the cast by Black Snow actor Caleb Jonte Edwards.

Created by Mike White, the award-winning HBO series follows guests and staff at The White Lotus resort hotel, with each season focusing on a new group in a new location.

With previous seasons taking place in Hawaii, Italy and Thailand, season four will be set in France, with the Château de La Messardière in Saint-Tropez serving as the main location.

Joining Coogan and Edwards on the cast so far are Vikings star Alexander Ludwig and The Goldbergs actor AJ Michalka. Helena Bonham Carter is reportedly in negotiations to join the cast as is The Mindy Project star Chris Messina, though neither have been confirmed (via Deadline).

At the time of writing, no further details are available about who each actor will be playing in the show and plot details are being kept under wraps.

steve coogan

Shane Anthony Sinclair//Getty Images

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Previously speaking about fan reactions to season three, creator, writer and director White pushed back after fans criticised the show’s pacing, telling The Hollywood Reporter: “People are already like, ‘It’s too slow! Let’s go, let’s go! Nothing’s happening!’

“But nothing happened in the first season,” White said. “Literally. It was basically people sitting around eating meals, but the music gave this tension, and you knew something bad was going to happen.”

jason isaacs, parker posey, patrick schwarzenegger, sarah catherine hook, sam nivola, the white lotus season 3

HBO

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In the interview, White also explained that fans expect the show to follow a specific formula, saying: “People now come into the show thinking it needs to be about hotel employees getting stepped on by rich people every season.

“Then there’s the criticism that the show has become the thing it was supposed to satirize. At this point, people want The White Lotus to be different things. But I’m just one random writer trying to figure out how to get through the day.”

Seasons 1 – 3 of The White Lotus are available to stream on Sky Go and NOW in the UK, and on Max in the US.

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Lettermark

Reporter, Digital Spy

Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.