Here's why Sex Education looks like it's set in the '80s
One of the first things that struck us when we first watched Netflix hit drama Sex Education - besides two characters ferociously copulating in the opening scene, obviously - is that Otis is woken up by an ALARM CLOCK.
We haven't seen one of those for years, and that, along with his Joy Division poster, the Billy Idol soundtrack, and best mate Eric's purple Shell Suit jacket, made us initially presume that the series was set in the 1980s.
However, it soon becomes clear that Sex Education is set around the present day as all the pupils at the show's Mooredale High School have smart phones, although they barely look at them as much as we'd expect real teenagers to IRL.
Emma Mackey - who plays the wonderfully whip-smart Maeve, and is the real brains behind Otis' operation - and Ncuti Gatwa, who stars as Otis' out-and-proud best friend - told Cosmopolitan.com/uk the reason behind the show's '80s feel.
"The whole aesthetic of the show is completely inspired by John Hughes and that '80s high school aesthetic that we all know and love, and it's quite universal," Emma explained.
A few of John Hughes' fan favourites include Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club.
"There are a whole range of films that we loved growing up, and that's why the production team chose that because it works and it appeals to people," she added.
"It's almost nostalgic in the way we tried to add that classic high school, and pushed the heart and soul with a British twist; with a bit of British seasoning," Ncuti added.
Emma joked: "Yeah [otherwise] we'd all be heads down on our phones, and it would be quite a boring show!"
If you haven't yet binge-watched all two seasons like us, Sex Education is a heartwarming coming-of-age drama that follows 17-year-old Asa Butterfield's Otis offering up official sex therapy to his contemporaries in the school's chemistry lab in exchanged for a fee, as he's been blessed with the gift of intuitive sexual understanding. And that don't come for free.
The show has been applauded for the sensitive and realistic way it handles adolescent growing pains, sexuality, abortion, coming out, slut-shaming and revenge porn.
Sex Education season 2 is available to binge-watch on Netflix now.
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