Heartstopper's Olivia Colman isn't returning for season 3: "I feel awful"
The Oscar-winning star had a small but important role as Nick's mum Sarah in the first two runs.
Olivia Colman has revealed that she won't be returning to Heartstopper for its third season.
The Oscar-winning star had a small but important role as Sarah – the mother of Kit Connor's main character, Nick – in the first two runs of the beloved teen drama, but has confirmed she won't be able to reprise the role due to schedule conflicts.
"I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in," she told Forbes. "I feel awful about that."
She continued: "I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of."
The slightly better news for fans is that there's still the possibility Colman might be back at some point further down the line.
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Asked about future seasons, she said: "As long as it’s booked in advance, maybe I’ll be able to do it, yeah!”
Meanwhile, if recent rumours are anything to go by, it could well be a case of one big name out and another one in – with reports circulating that Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers star Jonathan Bailey has joined the cast for the new run.
Although Netflix has not commented on the rumours, fans noticed that images posted to an Instagram account under the name Jack Maddox showed the star dressed like a character of a similar name from a mini-comic illustrated by Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman.
It was revealed last week that season 3 will be landing on Netflix in October, with the release month confirmed in a behind-the-scenes video of the cast filming the season's eighth episode.
The video began with Joe Locke and Kit Connor about to rehearse in a brightly coloured fairground before Yasmin Finney says: "The positive reaction from season 2 has really boosted all of our confidence – I can't wait for you to see."
Meanwhile, as well as giving an update on the release, we also learnt a little more about what to expect from the new run with William Gao explaining: "Tao is beginning to figure out what he loves to do and what his hobbies are. He's finding a passion for something that he begins to really love."
Read more:
- Heartstopper season 3 reveals first look and release window
- Heartstopper fans certain Jonathan Bailey has joined season 3 cast
Speaking about the confirmed date, Alice Oseman said: "I cannot wait for the third season of Heartstopper to be released in October.
"Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through season 3.
"While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up.
"Mental health, sex, university ambitions and more: Nick, Charlie and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears and new joys as they approach adulthood."
Heartstopper season 3 will be coming to Netflix this October, and seasons 1-2 are available to stream now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
