Is Jonathan Bailey joining the cast of 'Heartstopper'?

Since its release in 2022, Heartstopper has become one of Netflix’s most popular series, receiving high acclaim for its depiction of LGBTQ+ issues.

The teen drama is based on Alice Oseman’s comic series and follows the blossoming relationship between two teenage boys, Charlie and Nick, at a British high school. 

Since the characters were first introduced in Oseman’s 2014 work Solitaire, Charlie and Nick have become firm fan favourites, played on screen by Joe Locke and Kit Connor, respectively.

The show features actors such as Olivia Colman, Yasmin Finney, William Gao and Corinna Brown, with Stephen Fry even making a cameo as the voice of the school headmaster. 

However, a mysterious Instagram account has recently been discovered by fans, which teases the addition of Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey as the newest cast member. 

The actor, who has also appeared in Broadchurch and had a successful tenure as a theatre star, seems to be playing a character called Jack Maddox in the newest season of Heartstopper. 

Filming for season three began at the end of 2023, although there is no official release date as of yet. Yet, this Instagram account is getting fans incredibly excited, teasing that new episodes hopefully aren’t far away.

The Instagram account is accompanied by a bio which reads: “Scholar. Keyboardist. Racer. ‘Meditations on the Greek Complex’ is out now in all good bookshops.” 

There are three posts on the account which show Bailey in a shirt, cardigan and glasses, holding a copy of the book 10 Things I Hate About Plato penned by ‘Jack Maddox’ in one photo, and a sign that reads ‘Trans rights are human rights’ in another. 

Fans have drawn links between this character and Henry Maddox from the minicomic The Ethics of Infatuation Dynamics. The character is a classics lecturer whom Charlie fancies, leading to conflict between him and Nick.

While there has been no official confirmation, if this account is anything to go by, it seems like Bailey will be involved in Heartstopper season three.