Sex Education season 4: Release date, cast, plot, spoilers and trailer

4 April 2022, 15:23

Watch the Sex Education season 3 trailer

By Katie Louise Smith

Will there be a Sex Education season 4? Here's everything we know so far – including the release date.

Netflix's Sex Education season 3 has been and gone, and after blazing through all eight episodes in record time, we're dying to know what happens next in season 4.

The streaming service has now officially confirmed Sex Education season 4 and if you've already binge-watched the entire season in one sitting like us, then you're probably on the hunt for any kind of clue about what the hell is going to happen next.

Lucky for you, we've got all you need to know right here. Here's everything we know so far about Sex Education season 4 – including the future of Otis and Maeve, what might happen next and whether or not it's the final season.

Will there be a Sex Education season 4?

Has Sex Education season 4 been renewed yet?

Yes! Sex Education season 4 was confirmed just one week after season 3 premiered on the platform.

When will Sex Education season 4 be released?

There's currently no information about when season 4 will be released. It all depends on when the show begins filming.

Sex Education season 4 is set to begin filming at some point in April 2022, so it could possibly land on our screens at some point in late 2022, or early 2023. Hopefully, there will be no COVID-19 delays this time around, which means the wait for season 4 will be a lot shorter than the wait for season 3.

WARNING: Spoilers for Sex Education season 3 ahead!

via GIPHY

Sex Education 4 spoilers: What will happen next season?

At the end of Sex Education season 3, we find out that Moordale Secondary School is being sold to developers and the sixth formers will now have to find new schools and colleges to finish up their final year. With all the students possibly going their separate ways, season 4 will no doubt look very different. (Unless someone manages to save Moordale, that is...?)

We'll have to wait and see what happens to our fave characters though, as the end of season 3 left several relationships up in the air. Will Otis and Maeve reunite after she returns from America? Will Eric and Adam patch things up? Will Aimee live her best single life? Will Lily and Ola's romantic relationship expand from alien sex to more "real life sex"? What will happen with Jackson and Cal's friendship?

There's also Jean's big baby bombshell. After giving birth to baby Joy (and almost dying in the process), it looks like the results of the paternity test aren't what she thought. Is Jakob not Joy's father after all?

Will Otis and Maeve end up together in Sex Education season 4? Picture: Netflix

Sex Education season 4 cast: Who will return?

Well, you can definitely expect both Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa to be back as our fave duo Otis and Eric. Gillian Anderson will also return as Jean Milburn.

With the end of their final school year upon us, we'll also likely see the return of Otis and Eric's classmates, including Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), Ola (Patricia Allison), Lily (Tanya Reynolds), Adam (Connor Swindells), Jackson Marchetti (Kedar Williams-Sterling), Viv Odusanya (Chinenye Ezeudu), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Anwar (Chaneil Kular), Kyle (Jojo Macari), Rahim (Sami Outalbali), Cal (Dua Saleh), Dex (Lino Facioli) and more.

Mikael Persbrandt (Jakob), Samantha Spiro (Maureen Groff) and Alistair Petrie (Michael Groff) will also return.

The series is also reportedly adding two new trans characters to the cast in season 4. No casting announcements have been made just yet but watch this space.

Is Emma Mackey leaving Sex Education season 4?

At the end of Sex Education season 3, Maeve leaves Moordale for an education program in the United States. After kissing Otis and finally giving in to their romantic connection, Maeve ultimately decides to take the opportunity and do something for herself.

In the final scene of the season, Maeve says goodbye to Otis and Eric and then leaves Moordale to catch a flight to the US. But while Maeve's goodbye definitely felt like a solid farewell, she even said herself that it was more of a "see you soon."

Maeve's program in the US was stated to only be a few months long, meaning that she could return to Moordale at some point in the near future.

It's definitely not the last we've seen of Maeve (you can't just leave her and Otis' relationship on another cliffhanger like that!!!), but we likely won't find out what capacity Emma Mackey will (hopefully) be returning until nearer the time.

Sex Education officially renewed for season 4 on Netflix

Will Simone Ashley be in Sex Education season 4?

Sex Education fans know and love Simone as untouchable icon Olivia Hanan, but thanks to Simone's starring role in Bridgerton, it seems unlikely that she'll be able to return for the fourth season of the show.

In an interview with Glamour, Simone revealed that she doesn't think she'll be back as Olivia, saying: “I think my time on [the show] has come to an end. It's very sad because I love them all so much.”

Netflix or Sex Education themselves have announced Simone's departure yet but here's hoping we get to find out what Olivia is up to in her post-Moordale days.

Will Sex Education season 4 be the final season?

There's no confirmation that Sex Education season 4 will be the final season of the show but creator Laurie Nunn has hinted that the show will end once all the students head off to university.

Speaking to PopBuzz in 2020, Nunn said: "I always feel that teen shows should maybe stop before university. Otherwise, you get the point where people are 30 years old and they're playing teenagers."

Sex Education season 3 sees the characters in their final year of sixth form so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the end of season 4 could see everyone graduate from school and head off their separate ways into university or the world of work.

Watch this space for more updates on Sex Education season 4.