Heartstopper Season 2: What Happens? New Cast Members? Paris, Prom and Bullying?

Heartstopper, the beloved graphic novel by Alice Oseman, has been adapted into a TV series that has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. The first season, which premiered on Netflix in 2021, was a critical and commercial success, earning praise for its heart-warming portrayal of a young LGBTQIA+ romance. Now, fans eagerly anticipate the release of the second season, which is set to premiere on August 3, 2023. 

We’re taking a look at what we know about Heartstopper season 2 so far, including the plot, cast, and production details, as well as what fans can expect from this highly-anticipated follow-up to the first season.

Netflix have confirmed that the hit TV show Heartstopper, based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, returns to the platform for Season Two on the 3rd of August 2023. Joe Locke and Kit Connor reprise their roles as Truham Grammar School for Boys’ most loved couple Nick and Charlie. However there are several new cast members joining Heartstopper Season 2 including:

New Characters

Bel Priestley will star as trans girl Naomi and Ash Self as Felix, both playing new friends of Elle, with Thibault de Montalembert as Stéphane Nelson, Nick’s Father. The three actors will join previously announced newcomers Leila Khan as Higgs student Sahar Zahid, Jack Barton as Nick’s older brother David Nelson, Nima Taleghani as Truham teacher Mr. Farouk and Bradley Riches (who played a student in Season 1) will return as Truham student James McEwan. 

Also returning for Season 2 are Chetna Pandya, Fisayo Akinade, Alan Turkington and Olivia Colman. They’ll join Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Sebastian Croft, Tobie Donovan, Rhea Norwood, Cormac Hyde-Corrin and Jenny Walser. 

Casting Calls!

Heartstopper producers also announced an open casting call for the role of Sahar Zahid, who is the character in the original WebComic and attends Higgs Grammar with Tara, Darcy and Elle. The cast and crew listed that no acting experience was necessary but they did state that they were specifically looking for plus size actors who are of British and South Asian descent and identify as either female or non-binary. Netflix later announced that    would play the role of Sahar after a nationwide search and it will be her first ever acting role. Sahar has also been described as no-nonsense, independent, and a little cynical at times. In the Heartstopper novels, Sahar loves to escape into worlds of fiction and is in the school band. Her sexuality is not revealed however she has an argument with the “boys” around the concept of losing one's virginity and how it does not exist.

The full Heartstopper season 2 cast includes:

• Alan Turkington as Mr. Lange

• Ash Self as Felix

• Bel Priestley as Naomi

• Bradley Riches as James McEwan

• Chetna Pandya as Coach Singh

• Corinna Brown as Tara Jones

• Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Harry Greene

• Fisayo Akinade as Mr. Ajayi

• Jack Barton as David Nelson

• Jenny Walser as Tori Spring

• Joe Locke as Charlie Spring

• Kit Connor as Nick Nelson

• Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson

• Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid

• Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk

• Olivia Colman as Sarah Nelson

• Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney

• Sebastian Croft as Ben Hope

• Stephen Fry as the voice of Headmaster Barnes

• Thibault de Montalembert as Stéphane Nelson

• Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson

• William Gao as Tao Xu

• Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent

Which Heartstopper novel will Season 2 of the TV show be based on?

Alice Oseman has confirmed that Season Two of Heartstopper on Netflix will be based on Volume Three of her Heartstopper novels. She also claims that while it is a good foundation, there is not actually enough in the book to make a whole season of TV so there is a lot of new stuff for fans to be surprised by. Season Two was written in the summer of 2022 and Kit Connor has said in interviews that it will be a different vibe to Season One!

Heartstopper In Paris!

Fans can look forward to seeing their favourite Heartstopper characters in new situations including a school trip to Paris and planning the Prom. We also get to see Nick and Charlie as they navigate the new relationship and we will finally know whether Tao and Elle can be more than friends. The other Heartstopper couple Tara and Darcy are said to be facing some unforeseen challenges in a relationship too. Joe Locke has stated in interviews that Charlie is on his own journey this season and the storyline is more mature.

It looks like there will be more developments for other minor characters including Imogen who is said to be putting herself in the forefront of her life above her relationship with boys. Yasmin Finney who plays Elle has said in interviews that her character is more confident in Season Two and surrounds herself with people who elevate her. There was some speculation around whether Yasmin Finney would return due to her being cast in a role in the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who but she is all set to star.

Isaac’s Asexuality

Alice Oseman has discussed in interviews that she hopes Season Two will expand on Queer representation and include asexuality in the storyline in the form of Isaac‘s character. She said to Attitude that asexuality will be discussed on TV in a big way and that she’s excited and hopes that it will change the world.

Charlie’s Mental Health

Alice Oseman has also stated in the press that Heartstopper not only wants to represent Queer characters but also discuss themes of mental health as it is something that is really important in her books. Heartstopper Season Two will possibly explore these more serious issues while keeping the tome optimistic and hopeful.

In Alice Oseman’s novels, Charlie Spring develops an eating disorder which isn’t something that has been explored in the first season. Perhaps viewers can expect to see an important discussion around mental health through this new storyline for Charlie.

Nick’s Family Troubles

With Thibault de Montalembert on the Heartstopper roster for Season Two as Nick‘s Father, the series may include the plot point of Nick preparing to come out to his Dad which was explored in Alice Oseman‘s novels.

According to reviews online of Heartstopper: Volume Three (the graphic novel), Nick and Charlie‘s relationship develops at a realistic pace and has open discussions around how intimate they want to be. After Nick comes out to more people, he is subjected to homophobia including from his older brother. Tara and Darcy share more about how they got together to begin with and it looks as though there could be a blossoming relationship between two of the teachers.

David Nelson, who is set to be played by Jack Barton, is 4 years older than his brother Nick. In Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, he can be seen as smug and pompous and really hurts Nick when discussing his sexuality even claiming that Charlie “turned him Gay”. We hope to see the couple look after each other while this at home bullying goes on and hopefully we see David learn from his mistakes.

According to the Heartstopper Twitter account, filming for the second season began in Autumn 2022 and finished on the 2nd of December 2022. 

Well that’s made us excited! Get your reminders sorted for Heartstopper Season 2 - it’s set to premiere on Netflix on the 3rd of August 2023. From what we know so far, the second season promises to delve deeper into the lives of Nick and Charlie as they navigate their relationship, friendships, and school life. With an expanded cast of characters and new challenges to face, the show's creators have a wealth of material to draw upon from the original source material. The second season also looks to build upon the strong foundation established in the first season, exploring themes of love, acceptance, and the complexities of identity. We can't wait to see what Nick, Charlie, and the rest of the characters have in store!

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