Now that Sex Education has ended, its creator, screenwriter Laurie Nunn (London, 37 years old), smiles as she recalls the birth of the series, which premiered on Netflix in 2019. The idea came from a producer who saw a documentary about teenagers talking to sex therapists. “Basically it was about what would happen if we put a teenage sex therapist on school grounds. I loved it straight away, it seemed like a great opportunity to create a series that celebrated the teen genre.” Because Sex Education cannot be compared to traditional stories about young people with changing hormones. If Nunn is proud of everything she has achieved with her series, it is above all that she has managed to subvert the clichés of the genre and its characters, as the screenwriter reviews: “the strange virgin, the bad girl, the bully.”, the gay best friend… I wanted to find a way to look at these characters from a different perspective and delve deeper into them. Discover something new in stagnant stereotypes.”
Both she and director Ben Taylor, who supervised the first three seasons, are big fans of teen series and films. “He absolutely loves these films, especially the John Hughes ones.” [director y guionista de clásicos del género como El club de los cinco, Todo en un día o Dieciséis velas]. I love things like “Freaks and Geeks”, “Ten Reasons to Hate You”, “I’ve Never Been Kissed…” It was natural for us to find a way to update these conversations and make them seem more modern”, Nunn described in a video interview in mid-September.
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From there was born Otis, a teenager who grew up in a liberal environment with his mother, a sexologist, and to whom other classmates go for advice on sexual matters, at an age when everything is doubt. And Maeve, the rebellious, mature and unapproachable young woman who joins the project of organizing a sexual clinic at the institute. Also Eric, the gay friend, who gains presence and depth in this series until he becomes one of the most famous characters. And Adam, the tough guy who suddenly has feelings for another man and discovers his bisexuality. And many other characters with a variety of personalities, circumstances and sexual orientations in a series that cared about its supporting characters – Aimee and her trauma, the not-so-superficial Ruby, the difficulties of motherhood and fatherhood in the adult characters. .. – both or more than his protagonists.
Aimee Lou Wood and Asa Butterfield, in “Sex Education.” Samuel Taylor/Netflix
The fourth season takes the characters to different environments than Moordale High School, where the action has taken place so far: while Otis and Eric end up in an even more liberal school, where the students are in charge and which already has its own sexologist. Maeve, a popular teenager, travels to the United States with the goal of becoming a writer, Adam tries to navigate life among animals, and Aimee breaks from her past and confronts her traumas. And all with a more emotional and dramatic tone than previous parts. After all, when it comes to sex education, children are getting older and older.
When Laurie Nunn began writing this season, she didn’t expect it to be her last. “I work on the script quite organically and fluidly, we constantly rewrite and tweak the plot, even while recording. As the writing process progressed, I realized that all storylines were reaching their natural conclusion. “I liked the place where each character ended up. So I think he still enjoys popular favor,” explains the screenwriter.
Emma Mackey is Maeve Wiley in Sex Education. Thomas Wood/Netflix
In addition to reshaping the youth genre, Sex Education also wanted to show diverse youth and talk to them about sexuality in an unbiased and open manner. “Over time we were able to add more characters from different backgrounds. In reality, it reflects the diversity of our writers’ room, with many women, LGTBQ writers…each bringing many of their experiences to the table. “I’m so proud that we were able to advocate for some of the most underrepresented voices,” she says. Over time, the series could become more daring. “We added a lot of crude humor, like penis jokes and things like that. But we also deal with serious topics and find a way to combine those two things in a tone that is halfway happy and sad,” he concludes.
Alistair Petrie as Michael Groff and Conor Swindells as Adam Groff, in an episode of the fourth season of Sex Education. Samuel Taylor/Netflix
Sex Education is the first series from its creator. Although he had experience as a screenwriter, he did not have the responsibility that a production of this caliber placed on his shoulders. “The truth is, I didn’t expect people to connect with the show the way they did. I thought it would be too strange and it would be difficult for them to latch onto it and take the leap of faith to accept it.” But it happened and it was one of the most successful series on the platform with a significant base of loyal and very passionate follower. “I’ve tried to stay out of the fan noise because it’s easy to start writing the show people want instead of the one you want.”
Sexuality education continues to be an open task in many schools and institutes. Laurie Nunn remembers that there was virtually no sex education. “Now I think that young people are much more aware and young women in particular have much more opportunities to talk about their own bodies, their desires and their sexuality. Regardless, I still think we still have a very long way to go when it comes to open sex education that emphasizes empowerment and consent. “It still seems scary to talk about these issues.”
Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield, mother and son in “Sex Education.” Thomas Wood/Netflix
Although “Sex Education” is a youth series, Laurie Nunn placed special emphasis on ensuring that the adult characters (one of them played by Gillian Anderson, originally the most recognizable face of the entire cast) had interesting storylines and developments. “I remember when I saw the movie Juno I liked the way the parents weren’t the antagonists and I thought it was a very refreshing look at the teen genre. In sex education, I wanted to do something like this so that adults don’t represent obstacles for teenagers, but rather complex characters. I also know that many people from the older generation have seen the series and like it, I have even heard of families where everyone watches the series. Maybe they won’t watch it together because that would be a bit strange. [ríe], but it is a way to start conversations and break that divide. After all, our parents were also 16 years old once.”
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