Sex Education star Patricia Allison has confirmed she won’t be reprising her role as Ola Nyman in season 4.
A fan-favourite character, Ola briefly dated lead character Otis Milburn before breaking things off – just as their respective single parents unexpectedly decided to couple up.
“I won’t be joining the team for season 4,” Allison said, in a radio interview on Capital Xtra breakfast. “I absolutely have loved my time on Sex Education, and I’m so sorry to have to break that to you guys.”
She added: “I’ve been doing it for three years and I’ve loved it.”
The actor revealing that she had other projects in the pipeline and that she “had to say goodbye some time” to the Netflix teen comedy-drama.
patricia allison AKA ola won’t be returning for sex education season 4 ???? brb just trying to process this information ???? pic.twitter.com/4n8RW8lYyw
— Capital XTRA (@CapitalXTRA) July 5, 2022
Viewers previously saw exes Ola (Allison in the Sex Education cast) and Otis (Asa Butterfield) struggling to adapt to living under one roof after their respective parents, Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt) and Jean (Gillian Anderson), prepared to have a baby together in season 3.
The season 3 cliffhanger – which seemed to cast doubts over the baby’s paternity – means season 4 will focus even more on the blended family and the fall-out caused by the paternity discovery.
Ola’s relationship with eccentric, alien-obsessed school student Lily Iglehart (Tanya Reynolds) has also made them a favourite couple among fans.
However, it’s unclear how Netflix will approach Ola’s storyline going forward, given Allison’s absence.
RadioTimes.com has reached out to representatives for comment.
Allison isn’t the only Sex Education star who won’t be returning to the series – Simone Ashley announced recently that she wouldn’t be returning to the show after starring as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton.
Meanwhile Ncuti Gatwa will likely have a smaller role in the next season, to work around both his role in the upcoming film Barbie, and his Doctor Who casting.
Sex Education seasons 1-3 are available to watch now on Netflix. Visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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