THIRST CLASS
ILLUSTRATION MIKE CATHRO
SINCE SEX EDUCATION thrust its way onto our screens back in 2019, it has lived up to its name, covering everything from ugly orgasm faces to fingering techniques and alien kinks. The Netflix phenomenon (series 1, announced Netflix back in 2019, was tracking to be watched by 40 million accounts within its first month) left no sexual stone unturned as Otis (Asa Butterfield), a virgin with an uncommonly mature grasp on intimacy thanks to his sex-therapist mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson), set up an unsanctioned sex clinic at school, dishing out tips to his hormonecrazed classmates.
It was the unashamed, explicit and often hilarious sex scenes that initially grabbed viewers, but magic really struck when the show moved beyond the awkward horny fumbling to address how bewildering, joyful, unexpected and wide-ranging sexual experiences can be.
Few other shows on television could claim to have depicted storylines about pansexuality, a chlamydia outbreak, sexual assault, masturbation, asexuality and countless bodily insecurities with such nuance, sensitivity and emotional depth.
And as the students of Moordale High — Sex Education’s specific and stylised John Hughes-esque school setting — return for a third series, the show continues to up the ante, with an exploration of shame and a raft of new characters. Jason Isaacs joins as ex-headmaster Mr Groff ’s boorish brother, while the show’s first non-binary character, student Cal, is played by musician and actor Dua Saleh. And also shaking things up is Girls actor Jemima Kirke as new headteacher Hope Haddon, who swiftly makes some serious changes, including introducing — shock, horror — uniforms and clamping down on the students’ self-expression.
The school rules might be stricter, but mercifully Sex Education remains as revolutionary as ever, from its bold approach to portraying all kinds of sex on screen, to its dedication to telling inclusive stories. In keeping with the nature of the show, Empire’s Zoom chat with the class of Season 3 was frank, funny and unfettered. Just what you’d expect from the least-squeamish cast on TV.