The actor has confirmed she will bid farewell to the much-loved Maeve after the upcoming series of the hit Netflix show.
Her sad news comes just weeks after Ncuti Gatwa revealed via Instagram that he will not be reprising his role after the fourth season. Both actors have starred in the show since its debut in 2019. Gatwa stars in the series as Eric Effong and has recently been cast as Doctor Who’s Fifteenth Doctor.
Mackey scooped up the EE Rising Star award at this year’s BAFTAs as a result of her remarkable on-screen career. Aside from her iconic portrayal of Maeve in Sex Education, she also starred in last year’s critically-acclaimed Emily Brontë biopic, Emily. Later this year, she is also set to appear in Greta Gerwig’s highly-anticipated motion picture, Barbie, alongside Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie.
The show’s fourth season will be missing a key couple from its past as Tanya Reynolds and Patricia Allison, who play Lily and Ola respectively, both announced last year that they would not be returning to the series. Simone Ashley, who played Olivia, has also departed the cast this season in favour of her role as Kate Sharma in Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton.
Also nominated for the Rising Star award was Mackey’s dear friend and Sex Education co-star, Aimee Lou Wood, who plays Aimee Gibbs, Maeve’s unlikely companion.
Wood, who took home the BAFTA in 2021 for Female Performance in a Comedy Programme, is among several members of the cast who seem keen to reprise their roles after the forthcoming series, despite the show having not been officially picked up by Netflix for more episodes.
Also joining the cast this season are Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and Jodie Turner-Smith (Nightflyers). You can catch up on seasons 1-3 on Netflix now.
Netflix has not yet announced a release date for Sex Education’s fourth season, but it is expected to drop mid-2023.
Words by Violeta Paez
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