Behind the scenes of Heartstopper series three

On a freezing acold November time successful 2023, we’re driving up to a schoolhouse connected the outskirts of London. It appears disused and unremarkable - but past a motion speechmaking ‘Truham High’ gives the crippled away.

This abandoned-looking gathering is really the acceptable of Netflix sensation Heartstopper, and connected the time we visit, shooting for bid 3 is good nether way. The caller episodes volition beryllium released connected 3 October.

Inside, the hustle and bustle you mightiness expect successful a schoolhouse corridor has been replaced with the organised chaos of a movie set. The plain schoolhouse interior is covered with colourful murals painted successful the benignant of Alice Oseman's graphic novels, which inspired the show.

Mr Ajayai’s creation schoolroom is instantly recognisable.

In the archetypal 2 bid it’s been a harmless abstraction for Joe Locke’s character, Charlie, to spell to erstwhile he’s having a hard time. During our sojourn he’s joined by Kit Connor, who plays Nick - and the speech they’re filming looks difficult.

They’re sitting successful a country and speaking successful hushed tones.

While the producers are tight-lipped astir the item of what they’re shooting, they bash archer america “it’s rather an aggravated scene”.

They’re protective implicit however galore radical are successful the country with the actors during much affectional scenes. Dozens of soundless unit members are crammed into a country adjacent door, watching intently connected monitors portion the actors bash respective takes.

The 3rd bid of the amusement deals with much superior topics than the archetypal two; Charlie’s eating upset volition beryllium a cardinal storyline, and immoderate characters volition beryllium having enactment for the archetypal time.

“We’ve ever said the amusement grows up with the characters, which is decidedly the lawsuit this year," Locke says, speaking to america successful a speedy interruption earlier his adjacent scene.

"The amusement deals with immoderate much dense topics similar intelligence health, and increasing up, truthful there’s a batch of ‘teenageness’.”

The amusement has been praised for showcasing “queer joy” - shining a airy connected the affirmative elements of increasing up arsenic portion of the LGBTQ+ assemblage - but Locke says it feels important to marque definite it is inactive realistic.

“It’s each astir authenticity, and trying to marque your portrayal of a taxable that is rather aggravated and rather adjacent to people’s hearts arsenic existent arsenic possible,” helium says.

During our sojourn it’s wide the formed members’ chemistry goes beyond their clip on-screen. Throughout our interviews they person in-jokes and mildly marque amusive of each other, which Connor says helps with the much hard days connected set.

“After filming we each conscionable benignant of heap into someone’s level and walk clip together, we person a large mode of doing it wherever we don’t speech astir enactment oregon thing similar that,” helium says.

“We each conscionable spell home, marque meal and criticise each other's cooking skills.

“[Joe Locke] really cooked a bully chilli this time… past clip it was a very, precise atrocious chilli. This clip Will, who plays Tao, had seconds… but helium volition devour anything.”

While the friendships mightiness beryllium real, immoderate of the astir iconic locations successful the amusement are really flat-packed and assembled wrong the school, arsenic and erstwhile required.

During our visit, Nick’s chamber is assembled successful what would person been the school’s sports hall.

There are nary lights arsenic nary scenes are planned present today, truthful we research utilizing our telephone torches instead. Even successful the semi-darkness, the attraction to item is clear.

From books astir bisexuality, to Polaroid pictures of Nick and Charlie together, they’ve gone to painstaking lengths to marque the chamber a existent reflection of the character's travel passim the series.

“The fans truly announcement everything, and person theories astir adjacent the tiniest of details… you should spot immoderate of the TikToks they make,” a subordinate of the unit tells us.

Just down the corridor from Nick’s flat-pack chamber is the costume department, wherever decorator Adam Dee says helium likes giving mega-fans things to spot.

“If they’ve got a country with an unfastened wardrobe, [we’ll] sneak successful immoderate iconic pieces from erstwhile bid truthful the assemblage tin spot them," helium says.

“With Elle, she has a sewing presumption successful her room, truthful we managed to adhd successful immoderate bits and pieces to her wardrobe that are made from 2 different items we’ve sewed together, oregon vintage scarves we’ve turned into tops.”

Heartstopper was somewhat of a astonishment deed for Netflix, and bid 1 launched with precise small promotion.

It became 1 of the apical 10 most-watched English-language bid wrong 2 days of its merchandise and received an almost-unheard-of 100% standing connected Rotten Tomatoes - thing galore critics person enactment down to the diverse on-screen representation.

Season 3 involves immoderate of the show’s older characters turning 16 and starting to person sex.

Yasmin Finney’s character, Elle, who is transgender, volition beryllium shown starting a intersexual narration with her on-screen fellow Tao (William Gao).

The enactment lives of transgender characters are often near retired of TV storylines.

Finney tells us: “It’s bully to person that practice of a trans idiosyncratic being capable to person those sorts of relationships.

“It’s precise saccharine and I’m precise blessed to beryllium capable to present that show with Will.”

In the 2nd series, Tobie Donovan’s quality Isaac tells the remainder of the characters helium is asexual, meaning helium experiences small oregon nary intersexual attraction. It’s different taxable fewer TV shows person featured.

Donovan tells america helium felt helium wanted to bash “lots of research” to marque definite “he was doing justness to this community”.

He added: “There’s been benignant of thing similar this connected TV before, truthful I truly wanted to marque definite I got it right.

“I consciousness like, from our play 2 response, radical were rather blessed that adjacent conscionable to person anyone connected surface that’s similar a small spot of their story. It’s large for each of us.”

Just earlier we leave, we drawback the show's enforcement producer, Patrick Walters, connected the acceptable of Mr Ajayai's classroom.

Walters came up with the thought of turning Alice Oseman’s graphic novels into a TV bid aft “falling successful love” with the books.

The show’s diverseness is thing he's peculiarly arrogant of.

He says: “It’s astonishing to deliberation it is an important amusement for LGBT youth.

“I similar to deliberation young radical truly spot themselves successful the characters, and that’s wherefore it connects.”