Star of Sex Education Gillian Anderson has admitted that she had no initial interest in starring in the hit Netflix show.

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The comedy drama follows sixth form student Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) as he sets up a sex clinic at his school using expertise he has gained from his therapist mother, Jean (Anderson).

Anderson's performance has been hailed as one of the best things about the acclaimed series, but she very nearly passed on the project altogether.

“I read a teeny bit of the first episode and threw it in the bin. Initially I felt that it was too on the nose," she told Entertainment Weekly.

It was her partner Peter Morgan, a Netflix talent in his own right as the creator of royal drama The Crown, who convinced her to give the show a second chance.

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She added: “Pete essentially took it out the bin and read it and loved it, and said, ‘You’re mad. This will be really good for you to do.’ I read it and I thought it was hilarious.”

Sex Education first landed on Netflix in January 2019, while the second season dropped on 17th January 2020 to a strong critical response, with RadioTimes.com calling it an "effortlessly charming follow-up."

The series was Netflix's fourth most-popular show of 2019 in the UK, beating out tough competition from the likes of The Crown, You and Black Mirror.

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Sex Education is currently streaming on Netflix.

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