Who is Jonathan Bailey playing in Heartstopper?

The hit Netflix series returns once again for a third installation, which will see Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson’s (Kit Connor) relationship continue to blossom. But with some new faces joining the cast this time round, where exactly does Bailey’s new character slot into things?

Read on to find out more about who Jonathan Bailey will be playing in Heartstopper season 3.

Who is Jonathan Bailey playing in Heartstopper?

It’s been confirmed that Jonathan Bailey will be playing the role of Jack Maddox, an Instagram-famous classicist who Charlie (Joe Locke) has a crush on.

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So far, it seems as though Bailey will be making more of a cameo appearance and won’t necessarily be a regular throughout the new series. But even so, his character’s inclusion is an exciting adaptation from the original graphic novels.

Jack Maddox appears to be based on the original Henry Maddox character from the Heartstopper mini-comic by Lauren James.

Announcing the inclusion of Bailey, Hayley Atwell and Eddie Marsan in season 3, Alice Oseman said: “It was an absolute joy to see Hayley, Eddie, and Jonathan’s talent alongside our existing cast, and I can’t wait for the Heartstopper fans to meet these new characters.”

But just how did Bailey’s role come about? Chatting to Variety on the red carpet at the Met Gala earlier this May, Bailey said: “Like so many people I watched the first series and I just thought it was one of the biggest, most beautiful gifts to so many people. I wish I’d had that growing up.”

Speaking about how he got the cameo role, he said: “I had a mutual friend who knew Patrick (Walters) who’s the producer and I just said, ‘If there’s anything I could do to help and be a part of that story’. “

Of course, Bailey is known for his roles in Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers, Broadchurch and W1A. He is also set to star in the Wicked movie as well as in Jurassic World: Rebirth.

Speaking about filming with Bailey in the new season, Kit Connor told HuffPost: “It was quite a special day, having Johnny on set. I think we were all a little bit nervous for that day to come –it was my first time meeting him. He is just lovely (and) yeah, he’s a beautiful, beautiful man.”

Joe Locke also added: “I met Johnny a few years ago, and from the first time I met him he was talking about how he wanted to be in the show. They’d been trying to work it out behind the scenes for a long time, so it was good that they managed to fit him in.”

Could Charlie’s crush on Jack spell trouble for his relationship with Nick? Or will it simply be a light-hearted hark back to the original comics? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Heartstopper season 3 will arrive on Netflix on Thursday October 3rd. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.