“It’s the end as we know it,” says Sex Education creator Laurie Nunn about the upcoming series of her Netflix comedy drama.
Nunn realised the stories and character arcs were coming to an end while writing the fourth and now final series. But she says she "[feels] like I've said everything that I want to say with these characters at this time."
Netflix have assured a proper send-off for the gang. Otis (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Maeve (Emma Mackey), Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), Cal (Dua Saleh), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) and Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) will all return, with most starting off the series not at Moordale, but at the state-of-the-art, progressive Cavendish Sixth Form College.
Progressive in what sense? Well there's "yoga on the lawn," and a "welcoming, queer-friendly atmosphere," and the school is focused on sustainability.
The gang will meet the new popular crowd, nicknamed the Coven. But they're popular in a modern way, says Nunn: "they believe it’s cool to be kind. They’re very forward-thinking, and generous."
The coven is made up of a trans power couple, Abbi and Roman (played by Anthony Lexa and Felix Mufti), and Alexandra James as an as yet unnamed character. There's even a school sex therapist to rival Otis, named O (Thaddea Graham), and their old friend Isaac (George Robinson) is there studying art.
Meanwhile, Maeve (Emma Mackey) is in America studying, which is where we will meet her new writing instructor, Thomas Molly (Dan Levy).
Gillian Anderson is back as Otis' sex therapist mum Jean, who's going through a darker time than usual as she struggles to deal with being a single mum again. We will also be introduced to her sister Joanna (Lisa McGrillis), who she has a dysfunctional relationship with, and which is just part of Jean's past that will be revealed.
Lastly, we will also spend time with the Groff family (Connor Swindells as Adam, Alistair Petrie as Adam’s ex-headmaster dad and Samantha Spiro as Adam’s mum Maureen), as well as Cal (Dua Saleh) and their mum Nicky (Andi Osho).
Nunn hasn't ruled out a spin-off series. "I’m definitely taking a break and thinking about other things,” she says. “But Moordale is a really rich world, and writing about teenagers is always a lot of fun. So, I think that there’s always potential for more to be explored in that world.”
Sex Education series four will land on Netflix on 2 September 2023.
