Sex Education to say goodbye to Maeve? Emma Mackey hints at exit

Actor Emma Mackey became a fan favourite with the release of Netflix's hit high school comedy, Sex Education. However, after three seasons of the show, Emma appears to be hinting at her exit.

Emma plays Maeve Wiley on the show which also stars Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa and Gillian Anderson. The 25-year-old has been a part of the show since the first season released in 2019.  Speaking to Hunger, Emma said that she can't pretend to be 17 forever and realises that Sex Education comes with a use-by date.

“It’s a complicated thing to me. Sex Education is so momentous as a concept, as a show, and the cast are phenomenal. I genuinely care about them all a lot and I made lifelong friends. We’ve kind of grown up together,” she said. “But the bittersweet nature of it is that I also can’t be 17 my whole life," she added.

Maeve Wiley is an empathetic and smart young student at Moordale Secondary. Seeing the widespread misinformation about sex among her teenage peers and her own financial crunch, she starts a sex advice clinic at her school with one Otis Millburn. Their will-they-won't-they romance forms the core of the show, which is also known for its multiple other supplementary characters and plotlines. 

Spoilers for season 3 ahead:

At the end of the new season, Maeve finds an opportunity to study in the US. While she was uncertain at first about leaving Otis after they finally confessed their feelings to each other, she realises that she should not let the opportunity go. Maeve tells him that they will see each other soon and the season ends with her smiling to herself on the bus as she leaves Moordale behind. 

Therefore, it is not totally unlikely that Emma's exit may have been written into the show. 

Apart from Sex Education, Emma has also starred in Kenneth Branagh's follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile. The film also stars Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Ali Fazal and others. It was slated for 2020 release but got postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.