Thankfully, high school doesn’t last forever, and neither do the characters who attend it.
Emma Mackey, who starred in Sex Education, announced after winning the Rising Star Award at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night that she would not be returning for the show’s fifth season.
When Mackey was asked if she would be returning to the acclaimed Netflix series as moody teen Maeve Wiley, she was speaking to the media backstage at the BAFTAs.
“5th season? The fourth one was just finished by me last week!” To the Radio Times, Mackey spoke. “No, I doubt I’ll appear in season 5. Maeve and I have parted ways.”
A request for comment from EW was not immediately answered by representatives for Netflix and Mackey.
Prior to the start of Sex Education’s fourth season, Mackey told the Radio Times that she would have fewer scenes “It’s very familar to me! We have more characters, so it’s a little more sporadic. Consequently, there is… I don’t participate as frequently.”
But now that we’re in the middle of filming, I’m eager to return, she continued. “And yes, I’m curious to find out what will happen because I’m also unsure. It’ll be exciting because I’m learning as we go.”
In keeping with the title of the BAFTA she received, Mackey’s star is unquestionably rising following her roles in Death on the Nile, Emily, and a forthcoming appearance as Margot Robbie’s Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie.
Ncuti Gatwa, who plays Eric Effiong on Sex Education, and her co-star in that movie both recently made their exits from the show official. He replaces Jodie Whittaker as the 15th Doctor in Dr. Who, the first Black actor to play the role. If not greener, at least more temporal pastures await him. Tanya Reynolds (Lily) and Patricia Allison (Ola), who were both part of the rest of the cast, are among those who are leaving Sex.
