After the previous announcements of well-loved cast members leaving the show for all different reasons, the Netflix coming-of-age comedy-drama, Sex Education, is still pushing through with its production for the show's upcoming fourth season. Now, the recently announced Doctor Who's fourteenth doctor, Ncuti Gatwa—also known for his portrayal of Otis' flamboyant queer best friend Eric—has shared some behind-the-scenes images with Sex Education's cast members, as well as photos from the Barbie set.
Gatwa, via his Instagram account, shared sweet images from both the set of Sex Education and the upcoming Barbie film, including photos of him and Asa Butterfield, Aimee Lou Wood, and Emma Mackey, and a "mirror selfie" with none other than Jeff Goldblum. Although familiar faces are returning for the fourth season of the critically acclaimed television series, there will definitely be some significant changes, considering a lot of key characters will not be returning. Rakhee Thakrar, who played Emily Sands in the series, exited the show alongside Tanya Reynolds and Patricia Allison, who played the show's lovebirds, Ola and Lily. Simone Ashley, on the other hand, is leaving the show due to her commitments to the Netflix period drama Bridgerton. Even though a lot of characters will not be returning, which means a significant change in the show, the main trio of Otis, Maeve, and Eric will still be in the fourth season, although in a different setup this time.
Otis and Eric will be transferring to a new school after Moordale Secondary School was sold, forcing the remaining students to transfer to different educational institutions. Maeve, who won a study abroad spot the previous season, continues her adventure in the United States. The situation would probably make it difficult for her and Otis to maintain their relatively new relationship, considering they are physically apart. Wood, who has played Aimee Gibbs since season 1, previously revealed in an interview with Digital Spy that there would be a lot of "newness" in the series, not only in the cast members but also in the plot. "A lot of our feeling slightly off-centre is actually also just because of what is happening in the story, which is that they are [at] a new school. Aimee particularly - her best friend's in America, she doesn't have a boyfriend for the first time ever, she's at a brand new school where she doesn't have any mates. So there's a lot of newness for all the characters and I think that that does make the show feel very new.”
The series has received worldwide acclaim for its diverse cast and its discussion of societal issues, including sexual assault, gender identity, body image, and abortion, among others. Sex Education tells the story of Otis Milburn (Butterfield), whose mother, Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson), is a well-known sex therapist. And due to his mother's imparted knowledge about sex education, Otis establishes a sex therapy clinic in his school with the assistance of Maeve Wiley (Mackey) and Eric Effiong (Gatwa).
Besides Sex Education's main trio and Wood, cast members who will also return for season 4 are Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Mimi Keene, Dua Saleh, Sami Outalbali, and Chinenye Ezeudu. The fourth season of Sex Education has not yet been given a release date, but if you're impatient, by all means, you can check out Gatwa's Instagram post below.