The first series of the British teen sex comedy drama programme Sex Education premiered with all episodes on 11 January 2019 on Netflix. The series follows the lives of the teenagers and adults in the fictional town of Moordale as they contend with various personal dilemmas, often related to sexual intimacy. The series stars an ensemble cast that includes Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Alistair Petrie, Mimi Keene, Aimee Lou Wood, Simone Ashley, Tanya Reynolds, Patricia Allison and Mikael Persbrandt. The programme was renewed for a second series in February 2019.

Cast and characters

Main Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong Emma Mackey as Maeve Wiley Connor Swindells as Adam Groff Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson Marchetti Alistair Petrie as Michael Groff Mimi Keene as Ruby Matthews Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee Gibbs Chaneil Kular as Anwar Bakshi Simone Ashley as Olivia Hanan Tanya Reynolds as Lily Iglehart Patricia Allison as Ola Nyman Mikael Persbrandt as Jakob Nyman

Recurring Jim Howick as Colin Hendricks Samantha Spiro as Maureen Groff Hannah Waddingham as Sofia Marchetti Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Roz Marchetti DeObia Oparei as Abeo Effiong Doreene Blackstock as Beatrice Effiong Chris Jenks as Steve Morley Lisa Palfrey as Cynthia Joe Wilkinson as Jeffrey Jojo Macari as Kyle Edward Bluemel as Sean Wiley Rakhee Thakrar as Emily Sands Daniel Ings as Dan

Guest Toby Williams as Tim Lu Corfield as Sarah Anjana Vasan as an anti-abortion activist Dominic Applewhite as Charlie James Purefoy as Remi Milburn

Episodes

Production

Development Sex Education was created by Laurie Nunn. On 28 November 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the programme a series order, with Ben Taylor expected to direct. Executive producers were set to include Jamie Campbell and Joel Wilson via their production company Eleven Film. On 4 December 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on 11 January 2019. On 1 February 2019, Netflix renewed the programme for a second series.

Casting

On 17 May 2018, it was announced that Asa Butterfield would be starring in the series as Otis Thompson opposite Gillian Anderson. Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Connor Swindells and Kedar Williams-Stirling were also confirmed to be part of the series' main cast. On 16 July 2018, it was reported that James Purefoy had been cast in a recurring role.

Writing Five of the eight episodes were written by Nunn, with the rest being written by Sophie Goodhart, Laura Neal, Laura Hunte and Freddy Syborn.

Filming Filming for the series took place at several locations in the Wye Valley in both Wales and England, including Llandogo, Tintern, Symonds Yat, Monmouth, and Redbrook. Filming was also progressed in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan during 2018. Scenes set in the swimming pool were filmed at the Newport International Sports Village complex. The scenes set at Moordale Secondary School were filmed at the former campus of the University of South Wales in Caerleon, Newport.

Release On 2 January 2019, the official trailer for the series was released. All episodes of the series were released on 11 January 2019 on Netflix.

Reception

Audience viewership On 17 January 2019, Netflix announced that the series was on pace to have been streamed by over 40 million viewers within its first month of release.

Critical response Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of 80 critic ratings were positive for the first series, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Bawdy, heartfelt, and surprisingly wise, Sex Education is a raucous romp through a group of teenagers whose sexual misadventures are so thoughtfully rendered, adults could learn a thing or two from them." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 19 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".

In a positive review, IndieWires Liz Shannon Miller gave the series a grade of "A−" saying, "Again, though, it's the kids' story, with the fluctuations in both friendships and relationships pinging back and forth with youthful verve. Sex Education does a lot of things really well, chief amongst them being the creation of a high school world which feels fully developed — realistic to a degree, but.. [with] a sense of escapism." The Daily Mirrors Lewis Knight awarded it a rating of five out of five, noting that with "a talented ensemble and explicit tackling of sexuality in young people (and their parents)", it "is an hilariously honest and refreshingly diverse comedy". The New York Timess James Poniewozik described the series as "timely but not hamfistedly topical, feminist, with a refreshing lack of angst about its subject. Sex, in this show, isn't an 'issue' or a problem or a titillating lure: It's an aspect of health".

In a mixed assessment, The Washington Posts Hank Stuever wrote, "there's the usual problem of Netflix drift for an episode or two midway through, where the plot dawdles while the writers and producers figure out an ending. Yet there's an artfulness to the material and a genuine care on display here, too — a message that we are not just about the size and shape and inventive uses of our private parts". In a negative review, The Independents Ed Power gave the series a rating of two out of five and criticised it, saying, "Sex Education suffers further for not being grounded in a distinctive time and place...Eager to please but confused, Sex Education could do with a stint on the therapist's couch itself".

Ncuti Gatwa, who plays gay black teen Eric Effiong, has received praise from critics and cultural commentators, who noted his role was not relegated to the cliché of a gay or black "best friend" stock character. The series gained acclaim for its treatment of intimate content and use of an intimacy coordinator, Ita O'Brien.

Notes

References