James R | On 23, Apr 2022

“How do I stop liking someone?” “A question for the ages…” That’s 14-year-old Charlie (Joe Locke) to his art teacher, Mr Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade), in Heartstopper, Netflix’s new teen series. The someone in question is Nick (Kit Connor), a boy in the year above who is a popular rugby player. The more time the pair spend together, the more Charlie hopes that his feelings might be reciprocated – and, within a couple of episodes, Nick finds himself questioning the unfamiliar feelings he’s having.

Based on Alice Oseman’s webcomic of the same name, Heartstopper dives right into the thrills and fears of teen emotions – and it more than lives up to its title. The series, written by Oseman, is a beautifully vivid and engaging ride through the rush and nerves of finding yourself and finding others who matter to you, from the excitement of potential attraction, that heart-stopping flurry when you see that certain someone, to the unspoken terror of being embarrassed, rejected or alone.

If all that sounds like fairly old-fashioned fry, that’s partly why Heartstopper is so utterly charming. It taps into those timeless concerns and, compared to the edgier thrills of Euphoria, delivers something wholesome enough for any secondary school pupil to watch. But don’t let that fool you: under the bonnet of this quaint, wholesome comedy is a beautifully modern engine to rival the progressive and inclusive brilliance of Netflix’s Sex Education, from characters to representative casting.

From the off, Oseman’s writing is as smart as it is subtle. Charlie is already out when we meet him, so that his story is more complex than you might expect. He’s surrounded by refreshingly supportive and encouraging people – not just Fisayo Akinad’s warm teacher and a perfectly cast Olivia Colman as his kind mother, but also Yasmin Finney as Elle (a new transfer from an all boys’ school), and William Gao as Charlie’s best friend, Tao. And, floating in the background, Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell as Tara and Darcy, a couple in the school orchestra who effectively serve as Charlie and Nick’s guardian angels.

All of them have their own challenges to face, but Heartstopper’s focus is resolutely on positive matters, turning what could have been a challenging, serious drama into something wonderfully upbeat. While Tara and Darcy have to navigate their relationship becoming public, they spend their time encouraging and supporting their friends, even playing matchmaker to Elle and Tao, after noticing their winning chemistry. The result is something celebration and inspiring, even as it finds room for an alarming altercation between Charlie and a toxic former flame (an excellent Sebastian Croft) and homophobic bullying from Nick’s friends.

The diverse cast are uniformly brilliant, including a brief cameo from Stephen Fry as the voice of the school headteacher, with Yasmin Finney and William Gao particular standouts, as their burgeoning bond becomes a subplot with as much consideration as our central duo – the fact that one key cliffhanger relates to the friendship between Charlie and Tao, rather than hinging solely on Charlie and Nick’s relationship, is a sign of just how much depth is given to the whole supporting ensemble.

Leading the group, meanwhile, is a superb turn from newcomer Joe Locke, who earnestly captures the joy, anxiety and confidence of a crush, and Rocketman’s Kit Connor, who says little but conveys oodles of emotions through his facial expressions. They’re supported by a playful use of animation that heightens the crackling tensions in every encounter; when their fingers linger near each other, we literally see sparks fly, while hearts float in the air as feelings develop. Throughout, the show excels at observing the way people communicate through messaging – we see them rewrite, rewrite and sometimes not send messages as they try to find the balance between opening up about how they feel and worrying about how they’ll come across. It’s a thoughtful study of preconceptions and stereotypes, and how people lean into and push back against them, all of which is shaped by the kind of narratives that we see in the media.

Running the gamut from gay to bisexual, the result is a show that fills a gap in mainstream TV and provides a starting point for representation and understanding that generations will benefit from. Running questions about the impact deciding to say, or not say, something has on others are compassionately explored, yet always with the emphasis on needing to decide for yourself what you’re comfortable with. What a gorgeous, heartfelt piece of television this is. Once you start watching, you won’t stop liking it.

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