The groundbreaking series explored issues from mental illness to depression, eating disorders to sexuality, drug abuse to sexual promiscuity.
The young cast were mostly unknown actors but have gone on to develop illustrious careers in film and television.
Here are some of the biggest names from the series and where they are now.
On the day before Netflix released the first series of Sex Education, Jamie Campbell, creative director of the producer, Eleven Film, recommended the series to his friend’s 18-year-old daughter. As a high-school drama about the sexual misadventures of teenagers, Campbell assumed Sex Education would resonate with her. She agreed to call the next day to share her thoughts, but when she did, she said she hadn’t watched it.
The North Water is set during the late 1850s and follows a disgraced army surgeon, Patrick Sumner (O’Connell), who attempts to flee from his past by joining a whaling expedition in the Arctic.
Led by Captain Brownlee (Graham) and the ship’s owner Baxter (Courtenay), Sumner serves on the Volunteer as the ship’s medic.
Sumner’s quest for redemption takes a brutal turn when he encounters cruel harpooner Henry Drax (Colin Farrell), whose indifference towards killing reflects the harshness of the Arctic wasteland they’re sailing towards.
The series, which explores the power of friendship between three young, ambitious women, will once again feature Synnove Karlsen as Holly, Sophia Brown as Louise and Rachel Hurd-Wood as Rachel.
Joining the original cast is an ensemble of upcoming British talent including Leo Suter (Victoria, Bad Education), Barney Harris (The Hollow Crown), Imogen King (Darkest Hour), Stuart Campbell (Outlander), Izuka Hoyle (Mary, Queen of Scots).
Introducing the commissions, Channel 4’s Head of Drama Piers Wenger promised “a consistent presence of topical, entertaining drama across the schedule.”
Wenger also gave a nod to the production partners on the shows. In a recent interview with Broadcast magazine, he forecasted that next year at least 80% of Channel 4’s peak-time drama output would be co-produced.
It is the question that British writers and commissioners perennially ask: which system works best – the UK’s single voice or the US’s showrunner model?
Former head of BBC Worldwide Productions turned independent producer Jane Tranter tried to answer this key question with a panel of writers, who outlined their experiences to see how they compared.
She pointed out that, during her seven years in the US, it was not a subject the industry there generally debated openly.
