Sex Education: Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy to join cast for fourth series of Welsh-funded show
Netflix's smash hit Sex Education is back for a fourth series - partly thanks to funding from the Welsh Government.
The show, starring Asa Butterfield and soon-to-be Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, follows the lives of the students, staff and parents of the fictional Moordale Secondary School.
This time they are joined by Emmy award winning actor and Schitt’s Creek star, Dan Levy, playing Thomas Molloy, a famous author and Maeve’s US course tutor at her Ivy League college.
First Minister Mark Drakeford himself may not have sat down to watch the British comedy-drama, but he told ITV Cymru Wales it's great to see a "fantastically successful series" being made here.
ITV Wales' Rob Osborne asks the First Minister if he's a fan of the show
The Welsh Government has financially supported two of the last three series of the popular drama, through Creative Wales. It's currently being filmed until 2023. All three previous series were provided with logistical support through the Wales Screen service.
Since Creative Wales was established in January 2020, £12.8m of production funding has been successfully awarded to 19 projects generating over £139m of production spend into the Welsh Economy.
Is this money well spent?
Speaking behind the scenes at the Sex Education set, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "It's a competitive industry - if you want to attract productions to Wales you've got to be prepared to play in that market.
"Every pound we invest in attracting productions here is returned many times over in the economic impact that that has in the Welsh economy. It's an investment and there's a real return on it for the young people we've met today and the wider Welsh economy."
Mr Drakeford visited the set to meet apprentices and trainees and to announce Welsh Government backing for the fourth season of the successful show. The show is providing training opportunities for the next generation of talent, with trainees employed on each series. This season will offer a further 11 trainee placements, and across all four seasons, over 60 trainee roles have been created. In addition some trainees from earlier series have also returned as full-time crew in subsequent series, helping to further develop the crew base in Wales.
Mr Drakeford added: "Money isn't primarily what brings people to Wales.
"People come to Wales because we are one of the fastest growing industries of this sort anywhere in the United Kingdom and what really matters to production companies is talent. I don't simply mean actors, I mean all the things you need if you're going to mount a production of this sort."
As part of its investment in television and film production the Welsh Government stipulates that all supported productions must commit to providing paid trainee placements for Wales based trainees. The Young Person’s Guarantee provides everyone under 25 in Wales with support to gain a place in education or training, or support to get into work or self-employment.
One of the apprentices, Charles Strider from the CRIW Shared Apprenticeship Scheme said: "This is an opportunity not only to learn on a production but will also open the door for me to develop my career over the years to come.
"I want to stay in Wales and continue being a part of this growing industry that I’m so excited to be involved in."
Wales a 'filming destination of choice'
Jamie Campbell, Creative Director at Eleven and Executive Producer of Sex Education said: "We are delighted that Sex Education is returning to Wales this year for its much-anticipated fourth series. The country is home to some of the world’s most breath-taking landscapes, which create a memorable and unique TV experience for viewers.
"Through the filming of Sex Education, we’ll work alongside Netflix and the Welsh Government to support young creatives through apprenticeships and training. In turn, we hope to drive growth across Wales’ creative industries and promote the country as a filming destination of choice."