There's a big shake up happening to the Sex Education cast

Sex Education fans are gearing up for season 4 to drop on Netflix, and while the streaming service is yet to confirm a release date it is tipped to be hitting screens later this year. 

Viewers were left with many, many cliffhangers to grapple with at the end of season 3, with finale leaving a number of unanswered questions - will Otis and Maeve ever get together? What was the result of Jean's paternity test? And where is the show going to go now, given that Moordale is no more?

While there are several storylines that need to be tied up, the show is set to look quite different with a huge shake-up to the cast as we know it. A number of fan favourites will be hanging up their hats, and we'll be seeing some new characters entering the Sex Education sphere.

So, who's leaving? Who's staying? And who's joining? 

Who is leaving Sex Education?

Fan favourite Eric Effiong, played by Ncuti Gatwa, will be returning for Sex Education season 4 - but, sadly, it'll be his final stint. Sharing a photo from set on his Instagram profile, he wrote: "Last day. Last time. Bye bubs, thank you for all the lessons and for all the strength." The actor is replacing Jodie Whittaker as the Time Lord in the upcoming series of Doctor Who.

Emma Mackey also confirmed that season four will be her last, telling RadioTimes: "I don't think I'll be in season 5. I've said goodbye to Maeve." Since appearing in Sex Education, she has gone on to star in a number of films and recently won the 2023 BAFTA Rising Star award. Emma will also be starring alongside Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie. 

Simone Ashley, who has played Olivia Hanan for three seasons, confirmed that she won't be returning for the upcoming instalment. During an interview with This Morning, she said that she's 'a Bridgerton girl now' after landing the role of Kate Sharma in the popular Regency drama. 

Ola Nyman, played by Patricia Allison, is also leaving the show and won't be returning for the next season. During an interview with Capital XTRA last year, she said: "I absolutely have loved being on Sex Education so so much and playing Ola, ut unfortunately, I won’t be joining the team for Season Four. So sorry to have to break that to you guys."

Her onscreen girlfriend Lily Iglehart, played by Tanya Reynolds, is also waving goodbye, telling RadioTimes: "It's just the natural progression of these shows. When you have such big ensemble casts and so many characters, I think you have to let a few older characters go to make way for newer ones, which is absolutely the right thing, the way it should happen."

English teacher Ms. Sands, played by Rakhee Thakrar, won't return to Moordale, and Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke) is unlikely to remain a fixture given that she is no longer the Head Teacher. 

Who is joining the Sex Education cast?

While fans will be sad to say goodbye to some of their favourite characters, there are some big names joining the cast. 

Dan Levy of Schitt's Creek fame will be joining the show as Maeve's tutor in the U.S at her Ivy League college, and Jodie Turner-Smith who was reportedly invited onto the show by Ncuti Gatwa. 

Talking on the BAFTAs red carpet this weekend, the Anne Boleyn star said: "You may or may not see me in a little Netflix show called Sex Education. First of all all my scenes were with Ncuti Gatwa who – I DIE for him – and he’s my favourite character on the show.

"So when he called me and asked me to do it I was like, I don’t care how much they’re paying I’m doing it."

Fans can also expect to see Thaddea Graham, Felix Mufti, Anthony Lexa, Alexandra James, Marie Reuther and Imani Yahshua joining the Sex Education cast. 

Exciting!