One of the things that have helped Sex Education become such a success is the fact that it continually grows its stellar cast. People who were supporting players in season 1 have become important main characters like Ola Nyman or Lily Iglehart, while the likes of Ruby Matthews, Mr. Hendricks, and Ms. Sands have all developed more over time.
Along with giving more shine to characters, the Netflix series has also debuted some intriguing people after that initial season. Some were students with interesting backgrounds, others were parents who fans came to adore, and some were villains who added conflict to the show but all were welcome additions.
10 Nick
Nick (Thomas Atkinson) isn’t someone who has had a lot of screen time so far despite being in both seasons 2 and 3. Anwar was nervous about having sex with his boyfriend Nick for the first time and needed help with douching, so he went to Otis and then Rahim for help.
Rahim advised him to simply be honest and talk to Nick about it. Nick turned out to be a great boyfriend, as he was more than understanding and willing to work with Anwar. Though he’s not seen much, every Nick scene seems to showcase him as a supportive and positive partner for Anwar.
9 Layla
At first, it seemed like Layla (Robyn Holdaway) would be nothing more than a background character. When season 3 introduced the show’s first non-binary character in Cal, Layla showed up as the second but wasn’t given as much of a spotlight. They were kind of just there to showcase that Cal wasn’t alone.
However, near the end of the season, Layla got one of the show’s best moments. After apologizing to Cal for not standing up to Hope (which Cal told them not to worry about), Layla asked for help with binding. Seeing the two bond was sweet and Layla’s glowing reaction to feeling good makes them someone fans want more of if there’s a season 4.
8 Dex Thompson
In terms of being likable, Dex Thompson (Lino Facioli) won’t rank near the top of most viewers’ lists. Despite that, he stands out as a character more than others because he’s gotten a fair amount of time on screen. It started simply enough as he was just a smart guy who Viv had a crush on.
She grew to learn that he was dull and only wanted to talk about how good he was at the Rubik’s Cube. In season 3, his struggles in the bedroom were a plot point in the premiere, and watching him get stuck outside of school naked made for a memorable scene. Even if he’s not a fan favorite, it was also welcome to see him take Otis and Maeve’s advice for the better.
7 Roland Matthews
Season 3 managed to give serious character development to Ruby Matthews. As she fell in love with Otis, she opened up about her life more than ever, which included bringing him home to meet her dad Roland (David Layde), who has multiple sclerosis. He immediately became someone audiences appreciated.
Despite his tough situation, Rolan was happy as possible to hang out with Otis and spent most of the time together talking about how good Ruby is to him. It was also incredibly adorable to find out that she had been talking to her parents about how much she liked Otis. More from him and Ruby’s home life is a want for a possible season 4.
6 Erin Wiley
Like Dex Thompson, it can be hard to like Erin Wiley (Anne-Marie Duff). However, that’s actually exactly what makes her such an intriguing character. Viewers are meant to hate her from the start for abandoning Maeve but for most of season 2, it seems like Erin is legitimately trying to be a better mother.
The scene where Maeve has to call child services on her is heartbreaking and Erin was resentful for all of season 3. Alas, Erin is important to have around as Maeve explains when she reminds her that she’s ill. Addiction can lead her to do something bad like kidnap her daughter, even if her heart was in the right place. She redeemed herself in the end too by helping Maeve go to America.
5 Hope Haddon
Every series needs an antagonist and none have been better on Sex Education than Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke). She arrived at Moordale Secondary School with a dance number and came across as the “cool” new headteacher. It was actually all an act though and soon she began to run the school like Professor Umbridge of Harry Potter fame.
Hope was overly strict, shamed students, stuck to antiquated gender views, and even got physical with a few teens. There were layers to Hope though as audiences saw her struggle with not being able to conceive and they grew to understand that a lot of the school’s changes were somewhat forced upon her so Moordale wouldn’t close.
4 Rahim
When audiences first saw Rahim (Sami Outalbali), they likely had the same reaction as most of the other Moordale students. They were stunned by his good looks as Ruby wanted to date him, while Eric thought he was gorgeous. Rahim started dating Eric and was a good boyfriend who didn’t shy away from kissing him in public.
Although their relationship didn’t end well, Rahim remained someone for audiences to cheer for. During season 3, he even formed a bond with Adam despite Adam being the one who took Eric from him. Rahim is likable and someone who has had plenty of time on screen to develop.
3 Isaac Goodwin
This is another case of Sex Education introducing a character one way only to make them better and more interesting over time. Isaac Goodwin (George Robinson) first seemed like a villainous obstacle for the show’s core Otis and Maeve romance. When he deleted Otis’s voicemail at the end of season 2, fans hated him for it.
Thankfully, season 3 made him a more fleshed-out character. He admitted his wrongdoing before getting serious with Maeve and showed that he truly cared about her. Isaac understood her in a way that most people don’t and their scene of intimacy was one of the show’s most touching.
2 Vivienne Odusanya
With the pressure constantly on Jackson to be great at swimming, he injured himself and was told to find something else to fall back on. That led to him getting tutored by Vivienne Odusanya (Chinenye Ezeudu), one of the school’s brightest minds. At first, Viv seemed overly judgmental of those around her.
Becoming friends with Jackson helped her open up and it was nice to see a platonic relationship between a male and a female on TV. She helped him with his panic attacks and was a great friend who also opened up to her fellow girls in arguably the show’s best episode. Season 3 saw her take a step back and become selfish before figuring things out late and becoming likable again.
1 Cal Bowman
It seems like Jackson gets some of the show’s best relationships, whether friendly or romantic. Season 1 was with Maeve, season 2 was with Viv, and season 3 was with new student Cal Bowman (Dua Saleh). As the series’ first non-binary student, Cal represented another LGBTQ+ character for the show to explore.
Cal is likely the coolest person at Moordale, often looking to relax and keep things chill rather than overly worrying about something. Yet, they still stepped up against Hope when they needed to due to the way the school was treating them. Throw in how sweet they were towards Layla and Cal is a shining star.
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