The British teen sex comedy drama television series Sex Education is created by Laurie Nunn for Netflix. It follows the lives of teenagers and adults in the fictional town of Moordale as they struggle with a range of personal issues, many of which have to do with sexual intimacy.
The first season was released on Netflix on 11 January 2019. The second, third and fourth seasons followed in January 2020, September 2021 and September 2023, respectively. Sex Education's performances, writing, directing, production value, and mature handling of its issues have won it great praise from critics. The first season of the show was streamed by over 40 million people following its premiere.
Main cast of Sex Education
Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn
The British actor Asa Butterfield portrays the lead character of Otis Milburn, a socially awkward teenager who gives sex advice to his peers.
Asa Butterfield began his acting career as a child and rose to fame as the lead in the 2008 historical drama picture The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Throughout the 2010s, he kept making headlines, appearing in the science fiction movie Ender's Game (2013), the adventure drama Hugo (2011), the drama X+Y (2014), and the fantasy Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).
Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn
The American actress Gillian Anderson portrays Jean Milburn, Otis's mother and a well-known sex therapist.
Gillian Leigh Anderson OBE is an American actress, writer, and activist renowned for her performances as Lily Bart in the drama film The House of Mirth (2000), FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the sci-fi series The X-Files (1993–2002; 2016–2018), etc. The actress has earned several awards and honours such as two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong
The Rwandan and Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa portrays Eric Effiong, Otis's openly gay best friend who comes from a religious Ghanaian-Nigerian family. This was the actor’s breakthrough that gained him wide popularity.
Mizero Ncuti Gatwa began his career on stage at the Dundee Repertory Theatre. His portrayal of Mercutio in HOME's 2014 staging of Romeo and Juliet earned him a nomination for an Ian Charleson Award. After his breakthrough performance in Netflix's Sex Education, he gained further recognition as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who since 2023.
Emma Mackey as Maeve Wiley
The British-French actress Emma Mackey portrays Maeve Wiley, an intelligent but troubled teenager who runs a sex therapy clinic with Otis.
Mackey was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for her breakthrough performance in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023). Since then, she has played Emily Brontë in the drama film Emily (2022) and acted in the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022). In 2023, she received the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Connor Swindells as Adam Groff
The English actor and model Connor Swindells portrays Adam Groff, the headmaster's son and Eric's bully-turned-love interest.
Connor Ryan Swindells gained fame for his role as Adam Groff in Sex Education. Since then, he has appeared in the battle drama SAS: Rogue Heroes on BBC One (2022–present). He has also appeared in films such as Barbie (2023), Barbarians (2021), Emma (2020), and The Vanishing (2018).
Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson Marchetti
The British actor Kedar Williams-Stirling portrays Jackson Marchetti, the head boy at Moordale Secondary School and a swimming champion.
Williams-Stirling starred in British films Shank and Montana. He has been a regular on the CBBC teen fantasy shows Sex Education (2019–2023) and Wolfblood (2012–2014).
Alistair Petrie as Michael Groff
The British actor Alistair Petrie portrays Michael Groff, the headmaster of Moordale Secondary School and Adam's strict father.
Alistair Petrie began his acting career in theatre. He starred in several television shows, films, and theatrical performances. His films include Rush (2013), Cloud Atlas (2012), The Bank Job (2008), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Additionally, Petrie has starred in the BBC One television programs Sherlock, Undercover, and The Night Manager, the Channel 4 television series Utopia, and the Netflix original comedy-drama series Sex Education.
Mimi Keene as Ruby Matthews
The English actress Mimi Keene portrays Ruby Matthews, a popular girl at Moordale Secondary School and the leader of the Untouchables clique.
Mimi Roshan Saeed, better known as Mimi Keene, is well-known for Sex Education, for playing Nathalie in the movie After Everything (2023), and Cindy Williams on the BBC serial opera EastEnders (2013–2015).
Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee Gibbs
The English actress Aimee Lou Wood portrays Aimee Gibbs, a former member of the Untouchables who becomes friends with Maeve.
Wood made her screen debut in the Netflix series Sex Education (2019–2023), where she earned a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, following early stage performances in Mary Stuart (2016–2017) and People, Places, and Things (2017). She also appeared in films such as The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) and Living (2022), the BBC Three comedy series Daddy Issues (2024), etc.
Chaneil Kular as Anwar Bakshi
The English actor Chaneil Kular portrays Anwar Bakshi, a member of the Untouchables. The character appeared until season 3 of the series.
Chaneil Kular made his acting debut in 2018 when he appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Tariq Amiri. Later, he began portraying Anwar Bakshi in the comedy-drama series Sex Education on Netflix (2019–2021). He also starred in Protection (2024) and Black Narcissus (2020).
Simone Ashley as Olivia Hanan
The British actress Simone Ashley portrays Olivia Hanan, a member of the Untouchables. The character appeared until season three of the series.
Simone Ashwini Pillai, better known as Simone Ashley, is best-known for her roles in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2022–present) and comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2021).
Tanya Reynolds as Lily Iglehart
The English actress Tanya Reynolds portrays Lily Iglehart, a girl who writes alien erotica. The character appeared until the third season of the series.
Tanya Louise Reynolds's first major role was as a regular in the comedy-drama Delicious on Sky 1 (2016–2019). Her performance in the Trafalgar Theatre's production of A Mirror earned her a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award in 2024 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Patricia Allison as Ola Nyman
The English actress Patricia Allison portrays Ola Nyman, a pansexual girl who joins Moordale Secondary School. The character appeared until the third season of the series. Patricia Allison landed her first major role as Ola Nyman on Sex Education after a series of television guest appearances.
Mikael Persbrandt as Jakob Nyman
The Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt portrays Jakob Nyman, Ola's father and a widowed Swedish plumber who develops a relationship with Jean. He appeared until the third season of the series.
Mikael Åke Persbrandt is best known for playing Gunvald Larsson in the Beck series of movies. He is well-known for playing the lead in Susanne Bier's Academy Award-winning film In a Better World. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2011 European Film Awards for his performance. Other roles of his include that of Beorn in The Hobbit and Carl Hamilton from the Jan Guillou novels.
Anne-Marie Duff as Erin Wiley
The English actor and narrator Anne-Marie Duff portrays Erin Wiley, a drug addict and the absent mother of Maeve, Sean and Elsie. She appeared in the second and third season of the series.
Anne-Marie Duff's most well-known roles are as Grace Williams in Bad Sisters, for which she won the 2024 Best Supporting Actress BAFTA, and her BAFTA-nominated television roles in Shameless and The Virgin Queen.
James Purefoy as Remi Milburn
The English actor James Purefoy portrays Remi Milburn, Otis's father and Jean's ex-husband, a therapist and sex addict who lives in America. He appeared as a guest star in the series’ first season and later appeared as a series regular and one of the main cast in the second season.
Brian James Mark Purefoy is well-known for his roles as Solomon Kane in the film of the same name, Hap Collins in the Sundance series Hap and Leonard, Nick Jenkins in A Dance to the Music of Time.
Rakhee Thakrar as Emily Sands
The English actress Rakhee Thakrar portrays Emily Sands, an English teacher at Moordale Secondary School. She appeared as a recurring character in the first two seasons of the show and a series regular in the third season and had a guest appearance in season four.
Rakhee Thakrar is well-known for her parts as Emily Sands in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2023) and Shabnam Masood in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2014–2016). She also provides the voice of Bliss, the companion of the Eighth Doctor, in the audio dramas of Doctor Who: The Time War from Big Finish.
Jemima Kirke as Hope Haddon
The British-American actress Jemima Kirke portrays Hope Haddon, the new headmistress at Moordale Secondary School and Michael Groff's replacement. She appeared in the third season of the series.
Jemima Kirke is a British-American artist, actress and director who gained international fame for her role as Jessa Johansson in the 2012 HBO series Girls. As a favor to her childhood friend Lena Dunham, she made her film debut in the independent short Smile for the Camera in 2005 and her feature-length debut in Tiny Furniture (2010).
Recurring cast of Sex Education
Here is a list of all the recurring cast in the series:
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
Daniel Ings as Dan
Joe Wilkinson as Jeffrey
Jojo Macari as Kyle
Edward Bluemel as Sean Wiley
Chinenye Ezeudu as Vivienne 'Viv' Odusanya
George Robinson as Isaac Goodwin
George Somner as Joe Goodwin
Conor Clarke McGrath as Connor Pearson
Sami Outalbali as Rahim Harrack
Lino Facioli as Dex Thompson
Mirren Mack as Florence
George Georgiou as Yousef
Armin Karima as Malek Amir
Conor Donovan as Quentin
Jason Isaacs as Peter Groff
Indra Ové as Anna
Dua Saleh as Cal Bowman
Robyn Holdaway as Layla
Dan Levy as Mr Molloy
Hannah Gadsby as Celia
Thaddea Graham as Sarah "O" Owens
Anthony Lexa as Abbi Montgomery
Alexandra James as Aisha Green
Felix Mufti as Roman Zardari
Reda Elazouar as Beau
Lisa McGrillis as Joanna Franklin
Anna Francolini as Gloria Masters
Shak Benjamin as Adedayo
Bella Maclean as Jem
Imani Yahshua as Tyrone
Eshaan Akbar as Principal Lakhani
Guest cast of Sex Education
Here is a list of all the guest cast in the series:
Toby Williams as Tim
Lu Corfield as Sarah
Anjana Vasan as an anti-abortion activist
Dominic Applewhite as Charlie
T'Nia Miller as Maxine
Thomas Atkinson as Nick
Stephen Fry as himself
Sindhu Vee as Mrs Hanan
Susan Lynch as Tara Gibbs
Jack Bandeira as Eli
David Layde as Roland Matthews
Miles Jupp as an obstetrician at Moordale community hospital
Sophie Thompson as Carol Iglehart
Jerry Iwu as Oba
Reece Richards as Eugene
Jack Gleeson as Dodgy Mo
Andi Osho as Nicky Bowman
Jodie Turner-Smith as God
FAQs about Sex Education
A. Yes, the British teen sex comedy drama television series Sex Education is suitable to watch for for people above 18.
A. Sex Education has been widely praised by critics.
A. Sex Education follows the lives of teenagers and adults in the fictional town of Moordale as they struggle with a range of personal issues, many of which have to do with sexual intimacy.
