Sex Education's newest character: UoB

by Lauren Durose, Film & TV Co-Deputy Editor.

As the fourth and final season of Sex Education (2019) airs, Bristol students may find themselves recognising certain locations as they watch the show. Whilst a lot of the show is filmed in Wales, multiple University of Bristol buildings can also be spotted, including the Wills Memorial Building and the School of Chemistry.

The fourth season of the Netflix comedy drama follows on from Maeve’s shock departure to study in the US, as well as the merging of Moordale High with Cavendish Sixth Form College. The library in Wills is the setting for Wallace University, where Maeve has transferred to study for a few months. Meanwhile the Chemistry Building has morphed into the new stomping ground for Otis and his sex clinic.

A more colourful and heavily featured Bristol spot, the Palm Temple art installation (created by Luke Jerram) helps to provide the high-tech atmosphere and ‘ultra-modern’ perception that the new Sixth Form strives for.

The Senior Events Coordinator at Bristol, Corey Moore, expressed how 'It is always exciting working on large-scale filming productions across the University estate, but as a fan of Netflix’s Sex Education and knowing how popular it is globally, I was particularly proud to see parts of the University form key filming locations.'

Moore continues, 'with long hours and complex operations, this was a real team effort with members of Venues and Events working closely with colleagues across the University to be able to facilitate such a high-profile production.'

Sex Education became a quick hit and huge success, the first series reaching more than 40 million streams and only growing from there. The show has won awards, most notable the third season’s International Emmy for Comedy. The cast has become more decorated too, many of the protagonists having had their careers launched further whether that’s appearing in the Barbie movie (2023), SAS Rogue Heroes (2022) and of course, Ncuti Gatwa’s new title as the Doctor.

As the last series of the show is released today, and the stories we’ve been watching for the last four years are being finalised, UoB students may get to feel more represented than usual as they spy their own study spots on the big screen.

Featured Image: Wills Memorial // Courtesy of Netflix

Will you be watching the latest season of Sex Education?